Life Lessons with Joe

Thank You, Recession

2010-03-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

I would like to say thank you to this horrible recession. It's due to this recession that it's looking like I'll likely go two years with no bonus or raise (as will almost all of my co-workers). But you know what? That's okay. My wife and I are able to live more comfortably than many people in the United States. And we're grateful for that. Could we live with less? I'm sure we could. We were blessed to be born into the families and means we were, but we've also worked hard to get to where we are.

The fact that I'll likely go two years without a raise or bonus has made me question the value of putting in extra effort and time at work (*gasp* - will potential future employers see this!?). Two years ago I was happy to stay 2+ hours late most nights of the week. I was happy to come in a few hours on Saturday or Sunday. Or take my laptop home for the weekend and spend a few hours working. Now? Screw you, corporate America. I'll work my hours through the week. I'll do my best to produce a quality product. But my evenings and weekends are for me, my wife, our family, and our friends. As I've heard a fellow employee say (who heard it from another fellow employee): "[insert name of employer here] will not be coming to my funeral".

Do I love my job? Definitely not. I find my field interesting, and I work with engines, which I've wanted to do since I was a pimple-faced kid in the late '90s driving a '67 Dodge Dart GT (pretty hot 360 small block with 727 TorqueFlite and 3.55 Sure Grip, for those who care) with a non-functional fuel gauge and laundry list of electrical demons. So, I'm grateful to be doing what I am - you could say it's my "dream job", but every day is not fun.

I saw an article a few months ago detailing results of a survey that indicates 55% of Americans are not satisfied with their current job (read article here). At the time I read this article I was considering seeking employment with other companies (because living 3 hours away from your wife is not cool). But according to this study, I have roughly a 50/50 chance that I would be satisfied in a different job with a different employer. Personally, I interpreted this as proof that indeed the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence, and perhaps a large portion of the 55% who are not satisfied with their jobs just need to work on their attitude.

Then a few weeks ago I came across this article (read article here and scroll down to "$60K a year can make you happy") that referenced a psychological survey/study (I think this is the report from the study here) which indicates that happiness increases with annual income, up to ~$60,000/year. Above that, it's diminishing returns. And people who are happy have time with family and friends to thank for that.

So, thank you recession. And my message to corporate America: I'll work hard enough to get my paycheck (and maybe even a tad beyond that), but I will not give you my soul. I'll give my soul to my family and friends, who are my true source of happiness. My elders probably could have told me that, but would I have listened without going through the past year?

Going the Distance

2009-09-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

I took my first long distance trip on my 2007 Ninja 250R yesterday. 177 miles at an average of 65 mpg. Here's a breakdown of the experience.

Preparation - New Grips: I knew I'd need better grips than the stock ones or this would be a very long trip. Based on recommendations from the Ninja 250 Riders Club, I ordered some Oury Road Grips. They required some modification to get them to fit over the bar ends (didn't want to bother with taking the weights off) - I had to cut a hole in the end of the left hand grip and cut the right end off of the right hand grip to keep it from binding the throttle when released. I cut the stock grips off with a utility knife (cutting up as not to scratch the throttle tube and handlebars) and initially tried soaking the new grips in dish soap and water for install. The left hand grip would still rotate a little once dry, so I decided to give hairspray a try. Hairspray seems to be the way to go! The grips slid on much easier than with the soap/water method, and the hairspray appears to be just sticky enough to help hold the grips in place once dry. The comfort of these grips is much better than the stock grips. I'm glad I made this upgrade before yesterday's trip.

Preparation - Luggage: I also needed a way to haul some of my stuff on the bike, of course. I came across some luggage on clearance, and after taking some measurements I found a tail bag I thought would hold my laptop and saddlebags that would fit without interfering with the rear turn signals and exhaust. I got the Fieldsheer Compact Saddlebags and Fieldsheer Expander Tail Bag. I had to get a smaller "sport" laptop case ($20 at Wal-mart) to get the laptop to fit in through the opening in the tail bag, but now it slides right in no problem. The saddlebags fit-up fine, too. With both tail bag and saddlebags installed I initially felt a bit crowded when sitting on the bike, but once I got settled in I was fine. The luggage stayed very secure the entire trip.

Luggage installed and ready to roll

The Ride: At first I was nervous and I had a bit of a death grip on the throttle. Anyone who rides knows that is a good way to make your hands tired very fast. I remember thinking to myself after just 11 miles: "This is going to be a long trip with lots of breaks!". A few more miles down the road I think I relaxed a bit and felt fine. I felt so good that I decided to forgo my initial plans of stopping for a break every 60 miles and decided to wait until I was past the halfway point before breaking for lunch (85+ miles). I found about 80 miles seemed to be my limit for comfort. That's about when my butt started to get sore, I was starving, and needed a bathroom break. Plus, I needed to get the bugs cleaned off my helmet visor - it was getting difficult to see clearly! After the break and lunch I felt good again. But then I ran into some pretty strong wind (even stronger when riding 65 mph!) and my death grip on the handlebars returned. I think the last 30-40 miles of the ride wore me out more than the first 140. By the time I got to my destination my butt was sore, my right hand was sore from the death grip, and my neck was sore from wind buffeting. But I had arrived safely without any problems (this part of course made my wife's day)!

Stopped for lunch - my visor was caked with bugs

End Result: The bike and I are now both safely where my wife is living (and I am living part-time). I'll put the bike in storage for the winter here. I calculated up the gas mileage for the 177 mile ride: 65 mpg. I've heard of people getting 70 mpg on Ninja 250Rs. Maybe if it hadn't been so windy and the luggage hadn't been on the back I could have gotten closer to 70 mpg? In any event, it was fun and I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I'll be taking rides of this distance on a regular basis. Based on yesterday's experience, rides of <100 miles shouldn't be a problem on the Ninjette, though.

Window Shopping

2009-05-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

I took the motorcycle safety course last week and passed. That means I now have a little card that I can take to the DMV to get the motorcycle endorsement added to my license and I am legal to ride on public roads. The question of whether I will be getting a bike is currently a point of contention in our household. It's very tempting to just go ahead and buy one before my wife gets back from her three week trip to Japan, but I figure that would be a bad idea. So I'll wait, but there's no harm in looking.

I have yet to go to a bike shop and actually try sitting on some different bikes, but I know that the Honda Nighthawk I rode in the safety class was a little small for me. Looking around online I find myself drawn to the looks of the standard/"naked" bikes. And I've been told several times that if I have any self-control to go ahead and get a bike in the 500-600 cc range because I'll get tired of a 250 cc very fast. So here's some of the bikes I'm interested in at the moment.

Suzuki GS500E

Yamaha FZ6

But I also find myself drawn to some of the older bikes I've seen on Craigslist...

1984 Yamaha Seca 550

1974 Honda CB750

What do you think?

Exception

2009-04-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

I ordered a new power supply for my computer last weekend. It still hadn't shown up by Wednesday, which I thought was strange (the expected delivery date was Tuesday). When I checked the tracking status, the UPS website showed "THE APARTMENT NUMBER IS MISSING OR IS INCORRECT. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION. / A POSTCARD HAS BEEN SENT TO THE RECIPIENT REQUESTING THAT THEY CONTACT UPS."

Easy enough to correct. I contacted UPS and provided the apartment number. But funny...I never did get that postcard.

The Object of My Affection

2009-04-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm tired of the calculator I have at home. Nothing annoys me more than the "click-click" noise its buttons make, and the fact that even if it "click-clicks" it doesn't mean I've pushed the button hard enough for it to have registered. I have a fancy graphing calculator, but I long ago realized that it is far more than I need...if I need to graph something it's way more easier to use a computer. I love the scientific calculator I keep at work. It's a Casio fx-260. I think it cost all of $8. I think I need to buy another to keep at home.

Report

2009-03-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

My wife is convinced that our dentist has a difficult time getting along with his hygienists. Every time she goes to the dentist she tells me about how well he appeared to be getting along with the hygienist who helped him that day. Typically her report is that the dentist was less than pleased with the hygienist's performance (because he throws his latex gloves in the garbage rather aggressively or is very short when speaking with the hygienist). However, today was different. Today's hygienist was accurate as well as quick at her work. My wife's proof that Dr. M was pleased? He was happily humming as he was working.

I have to admit, I've never really noticed any indication that Dr. M was pleased or displeased with the hygienist's performance when I go for a visit. But I'm a guy. And an engineer. What do I know about people skills?

How Do You Revert From Rotten?

2009-03-14T08:01:00.001-07:00

Up until last July, I had spent the previous six years living by myself. That of course means I did all of my own cooking, cleaning, and laundry. When my wife first moved in I was pretty good about continuing to help with all of these things, although she said she is more than happy to handle the bulk of it since she's currently not working (plus I tend to be a bit more particular about the way I clean and fold my laundry). I find myself slowly doing less and less. I find I'm not nearly as particular about how the cleaning is done or how my laundry is folded when someone else does it for me.

We were just discussing what to do tomorrow. I suggested cleaning. After a bit more discussion, we came to the conclusion that she already took care of all of the cleaning during the week.

Well, I guess I better enjoy it for now since she'll be back at work this coming fall!

My Father's Son

2009-02-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

I can remember from when I was still living with my parents how much it bothered Mom when Dad would come home from work and the first words out of his mouth would be "did we get any mail today?" while shuffling through everything on the dining room table (since that's where the mail usually got placed once it was brought in).

Now that I'm married, I find that when I get home from work my eyes immediately sweep the dining room table looking for mail. And I have to remind myself to say hello to my wife before asking about the mail if I don't see anything there.

Suspicion

2009-02-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've always been a bit suspicious that some of the airport security practices currently in place in the States are designed to make passengers feel like much is being done to protect their safety, while in reality the practices do little to protect passenger safety. This suspicion grew stronger while in Japan.

We flew on two domestic flights while in Japan. The first time I don't think I even emptied my pockets. There were restrictions against carrying plastic drink bottles, but that's about it. Before putting my carry-on through the x-ray machine, the security official asked if I had any plastic drink bottles or dangerous items in my possession. I responded that I did not and he directed me through the metal detector...with my shoes, belt, and jacket on. Not even so much as a peep from the metal detector.

I figured the lax security must be because these were domestic flights (maybe more of a focus on making sure questionable individuals don't get into the country to start with). However, when we departed Japan to come back to the States, the experience was the same.

Is Japan more relaxed on their airport security? Maybe so, but I honestly find that a bit hard to believe. Having lived in Japan I have a great respect for the country's culture and its people. They may do things differently than we do in the States but often with similar, or better, results (quickly ask yourself what brand of car you drive, TV you watch, stereo you listen, etc.). I have a feeling that my safety is being protected just as well at airports in Japan as in the States, but through other means.

I don't want to scare anybody, but a few weeks ago I read the article here. It's about a reporter who has managed to get through airport security using fake boarding passes as well as carrying various restricted items (pocketknife, box cutter, 24 oz. of beer, and the list goes on). He goes on to quote "security guru" Bruce Schneier: "Counter terrorism in the airport is a show designed to make people feel better. Only two things have made flying safer: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers."

I won't claim to be an expert on the matter, but found Goldberg's article and Schneier's opinion very interesting. Is airport security truly protecting us against the next terrorist attack or is Schneier correct in saying "the whole system is designed to catch stupid terrorists" and we're potentially letting the smart ones through?

Life's Good

2009-01-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

I found our two week trip to Japan very refreshing. Of the times I've been to Japan, I have to say I definitely had the most fun this time around. Maybe it had to do with getting away from work for a prolonged period of time, but the trip reminded me that life truly is good. I had started to forget that after 6+ months of 50-60 hour weeks at work.

I thought I was mature when I got married, but over the last year and a half I've learned a lot from my wife (and her family) and discovered that in some ways I'm not as mature as I thought I was. I'm learning not to sweat the small stuff so much. And I'm learning that the very nature of "work" in today's world means that there will always be more to do than you possibly can get done. One of my goals this year is for a standard work week to be 40-45 hours, with maybe a 50 hour week here and there as needed. My personal life and health are far more important than killing myself to keep the bosses happy. As I heard one of my co-workers say once, my employer will not be at my funeral.

So, I've been trying to remind myself that life is good. Given the current economic situation I'm grateful to have a good paying job, and as far as I can tell, job security. When things go to crap at work or I'm feeling overwhelmed, I recite my mantras: "I love my job" and "Life is good". And I'm making more of an effort to leave the stress and worries of work at work.

But ask me midway through tomorrow and you might get a different response....

Deep breath..."I love my job"..."Life is good"...

Hayai!

2009-01-11T05:31:00.000-08:00

During our travels in Japan we rode the "bullet train" (shinkansen) a few times. One of the shinkansen we rode was "Hayate" to get us to Tokyo on our journey home. According to Wikipedia, Hayate has a top speed of 275 km/h...that's 172 mph!

While standing on the platform one day while waiting for our train, there were several other shinkansen that passed through the station without stopping. I doubt they're going the full 172 mph when they go through a station, but they're moving along pretty well. It's enough to give you a rush (and enough for my wife to tell me to step further back on the platform, despite the boyish grin on my face). A video doesn't quite do it justice, but check out this video to get a feel for it: Video of Hayate Passing Through Fukushima Station.

(By the way, hayai! = fast!)

There's a Tear in My Sake

2009-01-08T17:10:00.001-08:00

Every New Year's Eve in Japan they have the "Kouhaku Uta Gassen" (Red/White Song Battle). Musicians of Japan who were popular that year are split into two teams (red team = female artists, white team = male artists) and perform their songs. At the end of the night a winning team is chosen based on votes from the studio audience as well as text messages from those watching by tv. While watching "Kouhaku" this past New Year's Eve I realized that the Enka singers tend to be much more talented than the J-pop singers.

Enka is a Japanese form of music. It's often said to be similar to American country music. However, the only similarity is really lyrical themes. I'd say that enka is probably closer to lounge singing in terms of musical style.

New Year's Eve we also watched part of an enka flashback show. I was very impressed by the voice of one singer in particular: Misora Hibari. I bought a two CD set of her best hits before we came home. You can hear one of her songs here.

Incidentally, a black American has recently become a very popular enka musician in Japan. He goes by "Jero". He sang on "Kouhaku" this past New Year's Eve. You can hear the song he sang on "Kouhaku" here.

Bicycle

2009-01-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

In my previous post I mentioned that I was nervous about speaking Japanese during my trip to Japan. I found that it came back fairly easily. This just reaffirmed what I already knew - the best way to study/learn a language is to travel to the country where that language is spoken and immerse yourself in it.

I also found it interesting that despite the fact that I haven't done any serious Japanese language study in over three years that my listening comprehension has improved significantly. I could better understand tv shows and even the scratchy announcements by the conductor over train PA systems than when I was last in Japan three years ago. A few people even mentioned that they thought my Japanese is better than it was three years ago.

I suppose some of the credit needs to go to my wife since her influence allows me more exposure to Japanese than I would have otherwise.

Why English Sucks

2008-12-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

We're getting ready to leave for a trip to Japan in a couple weeks and I admit I'm nervous. I hear or use Japanese daily with my wife, but that's much different than interacting in more formal situations with people I barely know. Japanese is a tough language, but I'm often grateful I didn't have to learn English as a second language. Try reading the poem below out loud. If you're like me, you'll mispronounce at least one word. The excerpt below was shared as part of the adult literacy tutor training I just completed.

An Excerpt from "The English Lesson" by Richard Krogh

(I found the full poem here: The English Lesson)

I take it you already know

Of tough and bough and cough and dough?

Others may stumble, but not you,

On hiccough, thorough, slough and through?

Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,

To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful word

That looks like beard and sounds like bird,

And dead: it's said like bed, not bead -

For goodness sake don't call it deed!

Watch out for meat and great and threat

(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).

A moth is not a moth in mother,

Nor both in bother, broth in brother,

And here is not a match for there

Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,

And then there's dose and rose and lose -

Just look them up - and goose and choose,

And cork and work and card and ward,

And font and front and word and sword,

And do and go and thwart and cart -

Come, come, I've hardly made a start!

A dreadful language? Man alive!

I'd mastered it when I was five!

And yet to write it, the more I tried.

I hadn't learned it at fifty five.

Legal

2008-11-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

My wife's Green Card arrived in the mail early this week. It's very nice to have that out of our way. Now we just have to remember to have the conditions removed one year and nine months from now.

We're looking forward to the fact that both of us will be able to go through the short line when coming through Immigration after our trip to Japan. Now if we could just find a way to get me in the short line when entering Japan...

I'm Giving Up

2008-11-12T16:43:00.001-08:00

Every few days I'll try to read a news article or two in Japanese. Today was one of those days. I could easily tell by the headline that the article was about the DOW (in the United States) falling yet again. I click on the headline - the entire article is only a few sentences. Excellent.

My wife happened to come in the room and complimented me on reading an article in Japanese. She challenged me to read it out loud. I started to read, and was highly confident because I knew the following word: "市場". I learned this word, and how to read it, over eight years ago in one of the first cities I lived in while in Japan. So, when I come to that word I say "ichiba". Simple. It means market. My wife corrects me.

Wife: "No, it's 'shijou'."

Me: "But isn't it 'ichiba'?"

Wife: "Yes. When it's a fruit or vegetable market, it is 'ichiba'. When it is the stock market, or the housing market it is 'shijou'."

Why do I even try?

pwn

2008-11-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

My wife got her driver's license last year, so we bought a new Honda Fit for her to drive. We paid a significant down payment, and put the rest on a two year loan (the salesman from the Honda dealer called me when processing the sale to confirm we really wanted the two year, since most people go for the five year).

I detest paying interest.

We've been paying as much as we reasonably can each month, and got the loan paid off at the end of October. The title came in the mail the other day, and it feels good to know that it is now actually "our" car. It makes my blood boil to think about the fact that over the last year and two months we've paid roughly $500 in interest.

The next goal is to keep my car running long enough so that we can save and pay for our next car in cash.

I detest paying interest.

Depressing

2008-10-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Engineers do funny things, like calculate their effective hourly wage based on monthly salary and work hours. Then they realize with the long hours they've been working lately that on an hourly basis they're making less money than they were three years ago when they first started working for their current employer.

Aren't engineers dumb?

Reclosable Bag

2008-09-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

My wife has forced me to throw away all of my undershirts that had even the smallest hole in the armpit. Luckily, she was also nice enough to buy me some new undershirts. It always amazes me when I buy new undershirts or underwear because they come in reclosable bags. Fruit of the Loom even proudly prints on the side of the bag "Reclosable Bag" with arrows pointing to the end of the bag that is....you got it, reclosable.

Maybe it's just me, but when I get new undershirts I tend to remove them from the bag they come in, wash them, and store them in my dresser. Am I missing something about the convenience of reclosable undershirt bags?

I Smoke Pot!?

2008-09-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

I had a bit more eventful drive home today than usual. About a mile from work, there was a "crash! clatter, clatter, clatter..." and suddenly the sound from my car's exhaust became quite a bit louder. Apparently it had something to do with this:

I'd already lost the muffler a few years ago, but now that I've lost more of the exhaust pipe, the exhaust comes out right under the passenger area of the car. It's unbearable. 2000 rpm = headache. I have to get this fixed.

Speaking of not having a muffler, it reminds me of a fun story.

One day I was driving home from work, minding my own business, and obeying all traffic laws....I saw a sheriff's cruiser in my rearview mirror. He didn't have his lights or sirens on, but I just had this feeling he was following me and was going to pull me over. The stoplight turns red and I stop. The sheriff's deputy flashes his lights. Just as I suspected. I turn on to the side road.

(While I have paraphrased below, I promise that I don't make any exaggerations.)

Deputy: Do you know why I pulled you over?

Joe: No, I honestly don't.

Deputy: You hear that? (points to rear of car)

Joe: Oh, my muffler? Or lack thereof?

Deputy: Yup. License and proof of insurance, please. Where do you work?

Joe: [INSERT NAME OF EMPLOYER HERE].

Deputy: Then don't you think you could afford a new muffler?

Joe: Yes, I suppose I could.

Deputy: Wait a minute while I check your records.

Several minutes pass and deputy returns...

Deputy: Okay, I'm going to just give you a warning. You can do with it what you want. I don't care. I can't force you to get your muffler fixed. But Officer XXXX has warned you - you should know that driving a Honda that sounds like that will draw unwanted attention. Police will think you're some 18 year old kid who thinks he's in the "Fast and the Furious", and they all smoke pot, right?

Joe: I have no idea if they smoke pot.

Deputy: Well, you know what I'm saying. I'm not saying I age-profile, or racial-profile, but you don't want to put out the wrong image - it will draw attention to you.

Joe: Okay. Thanks. I appreciate it, officer.

Joe: (thinking to self as driving home) Was he trying to imply that I smoke pot?

Cousins

2008-09-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

Cousins. I have a lot. On my mother's side of the family, there's a total of 24 of us (if I counted right). When we were younger we all spent a lot of time playing together at Sunday family dinners and on holidays at my granparents' house (which are some of my fondest childhood memories). After this weekend, one more of my cousins is married. It's hard to believe we're all getting old enough to be adults, get married, and have children.

I'm glad some of us are still able to get together on special occasions to celebrate together and get caught up.

Pin...Fire...

2008-08-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

I can just imagine the "conversation"...

Chinese translator: Pin [makes action of removing pin from object]...fire...

Native English speaker: Hand grenade?

Chinese translator, incredibly happy with himself/herself, records translation as "hand grenade".

And just in case anyone thinks I'm discriminating, we native English speakers do it too. Take a look - poor Kimberly. Unfortunately, she got her name tattooed on her back in upside down Japanese characters.

How Much Will...

2008-08-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Note: I'm making every attempt to avoid a tacky pun in this post - the italicized text below indicates where I made these attempts.

Last night my wife and I got home from vacation in Minnesota with my family. We had a good time, and also impressed ourselves with the luggage capacity of the Fit. The Fit is suitable for carrying a surprising amount of stuff. I mean, who would think that such a small car would be adapted to carrying so much luggage, or the right size or shape to haul small furniture? (Thank you Random House Thesaurus!)

As you can see below, once we had loaded the car up for vacation, we discovered its accouterments to be more than adequate for hauling one week worth of luggage for two people.

How much more will fi... er... can we put in?

However, since we returned home via Ikea, Mitsuwa, and Trader Joe's in Chicago, the additional capacity went to good use.

About that much, and then some...

Oh, and did I mention we had a great time at the lake with my family?

Yes, I'm on vacation. Now leave me alone.

Bless This Mess

2008-07-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend my wife officially moved in with me - we finished unloading the truck around 9:00 last night. The apartment's a mess, but I don't care. She's sitting at her desk right next to mine, at her own computer.

I keep catching myself smiling like a little kid.

Disappointment

2008-07-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

I had waited so long, and when the opportunity finally came once again...disappointment.

I've been meaning to try a fried Snickers bar for several years now, but always forget to at fair time. I remembered tonight. Unfortunately, the fried Snickers ended up tasting like a melted Snickers (yuck) in batter.

Oh well, at the least the truck pulls were good and I had good company.

You Might Be A Redneck If...

2008-07-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Though we never farmed, nor ever owned any tractor larger than something big enough to mow the lawn, my dad used to take me and my brother to the tractor pull at the county fair. Fond childhood memories...now that I'm grown and work in diesel engine development, I find truck and tractor pulls just as enjoyable as when I was a kid.

Last year I took my wife to the demolition derby, too. Too bad she won't be here on Friday night...

Go ahead, call me a redneck. I don't care.

...black smoke from a tractor gets you excited...

The Important Questions

2008-07-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

So, on the Fourth of July I was doing the patriotic thing - cooking bratwurst. I've always wondered why they come in packs of five. Looks like I'm not the only one, but this guy actually took the time to write Johnsonville: Why Brats Come in Packs of Five

Now I know - 19.76 ounces.

The Last Drive

2008-07-03T19:26:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I made what I think was my last full roundtrip journey between Illinois and Michigan to visit my wife. I'll do the trip oneway in a few weeks in a Uhaul truck when we move her to Illinois.

Before I left on Sunday, we had brunch with some of my wife's friends. One of her friends asked if I would miss making the drive - I quickly responded that no, I would not. Since I've, on average, probably made the 12 hour roundtrip drive two times a month for the last three years, I've, well, gotten quite bored with it. To further emphasize my point, here are the highlights from my drive home last week:

Last year I bought my wife a Honda Fit. You know how it is once you buy a certain car - you start noticing many more of them when you're out driving. On the six hour drive home a saw five blue and one silver Honda Fit Sports. I'm a fan of the blue...and apparently everyone else is too.
Several fireflies had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with my windshield after dark. The blobs of their remains continued to glow for a brief period after their demise. It looked kind of cool.
I was cruising along at 75 mph and got passed by a Corvette convertible probably doing ~100 mph. I was hoping to see the Corvette pulled over by a Michigan State Trooper several miles later, but I never got the satisfaction.

Making Friends

2008-05-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've found a good way to make the TSA people at the airport smile and be friendly.

My wife spent a couple summers teaching intensive language courses at a university out east. For the 9 (?) week program, students are required to speak ONLY their target language, and have to sign a written agreement stating such. An interesting by-product of this process is the t-shirts that they create - some are for the overall program (for all of the languages), and some are specific to the language and level. I have one shirt from first year Japanese that has written on the back in Japanese "I only speak Japanese". Then beneath that in English, "If you can't read this, then you're probably not supposed to talk to us..." The shirt is somewhat bright green, and despite it being a gift from my wife, she is very adamantly opposed to me wearing it in public. Especially when we're in an area where there might be some native Japanese speakers.

So, back to making the TSA folks smile. When I flew home to Illinois yesterday I was wearing a t-shirt that says "No English Spoken Here" on the front, then on the back "But we do speak:" with all of the languages taught at the school written in the native characters beneath. The security checkpoint I went through yesterday just happens to be the same checkpoint for international departures. Two of the TSA officers smiled when they saw my shirt and asked "what does your shirt say?" (as if trying to test if I speak English). I responded and explained where the shirt was from, they explained how they thought it was humorous because many of the people they encounter day-to-day truly cannot speak English.

Next time I fly I think I'll wear that t-shirt. When the TSA officers ask what my shirt says, I'll look very confused and give them my best broken English while pointing to my shirt - "No speeku ingureshu!".

Thin Air

2008-05-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

"Thin Air" - it's the title of one of my favorite Don Ross tunes (the favorite?). I got the sheet music for my birthday last year, and one of my guitars has been in this tuning for probably half a year or so while I've struggled with learning this song (probably doesn't help that I play for maybe a total of one hour during an average week).

Anyway, the difficult part of learning a Don Ross, Andy McKee, or Antoine Dufour tune is getting "in the groove". As you may have noticed, there's a very percussive/rhythmic feel to most of the music these guys make. Getting both hands (especially your right thumb) to cooperate can be difficult. Tonight I felt like I was maybe finally really starting to get "in the groove" for "Thin Air". Am I ready to post my rendition on Youtube? No not yet. For now, here's Don playing it: "Thin Air".

Morphin'

2008-05-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

My wife has been here with me in Illinois for the past couple weeks, and she'll be here for another week. I came home one day last week to find a multi-color throw over my couch (instead of the typical plain navy blue sheet I use as a sofa cover). Last night she came home from a shopping trip with a bright orange/peach tablecloth that immediately found its way on my usually naked dining room table.

She'll be moving in permanently in July. This is how it happens, isn't it? One small thing at a time, then one day you find yourself waking up in a bed with pink, flowery, frilly sheets...

Two Weeks

2008-04-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

As I was entering my time at work this afternoon, I realized that if I work exactly eight hours tomorrow and Wednesday that I'll be 80 hours over for this month. That's two full work weeks! How did I manage to do that?

I guess the one 80 hour week and the two 60 hour weeks would add up to an extra 80 hours...and my compensation is the satisfaction of a job well done. Yippee.

10 kg

2008-04-27T05:57:00.001-07:00

I stepped on the scale this morning. Looking back to the first weight I have documented in my workout calendar (Jan. 27), I've dropped 14 lbs in exactly three months. I'm pretty sure I was about 8 lbs heavier around Christmas time compared to the Jan. 27 weight. That's 22 lbs, or exactly 10 kg (as my wife pointed out).

At first glance, that sounds like a lot, but if you assume four weeks per month, that's 16 weeks (since Christmas). That would mean an average weight loss of 1.4 lbs/week or 0.6 kg/week.

Slow and steady wins the race.

No Goodbyes

2008-04-22T20:21:00.001-07:00

At the Andy McKee show he played a Don Ross tune, "No Goodbyes", and said "this one's dedicated to Tashi." I didn't know who Tashi is, but found out here. Notice the date he passed away. The Andy McKee show we went to was on April 12.

Here's the master playing this song. Notice the dedication in the info to the right of the video: "No Goodbyes"

Triumvirate

2008-04-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've now gotten to see all of my three favorite guitar players live - Don Ross last year, Antoine Dufour a month or two ago, and Andy McKee just a couple weeks ago. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the shows and hope I get the chance to see all of these guys live again.

Here's a pic from the Andy McKee show. His popularity has taken off over the past year thanks to Youtube (search for "andy mckee drifting" on Youtube).

2 for 2

2008-04-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

I've been spending so much time at work this past week that I haven't had the time to go grocery shopping or cook. So, I've been eating a lot of fast food. What have I learned? Go to a fast food restaurant about 30 minutes before it closes and order a dessert (like an apple turnover) with your meal. I did this two nights in a row at two different restaurants and got the dessert for free both times.

I finally went grocery shopping and cooked my own dinner tonight - mac & cheese.

American Engrish

2008-04-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

I love the website engrish.com. It's dedicated to mistaken English ("Engrish") found in east Asia on clothing, packaging, signs, etc. Having lived in Japan for two years, I have a great appreciation of Engrish. Here's a recent nugget:

I'll pass on the water passed by the manager....

I always figured Engrish to be an anomaly only present in east Asia, but I've come to learn that it also exists in, of all places, *gasp*, the United States. My wife found this example at a mall in Michigan. She took the picture with her cell phone, so the focus was a little off.

The next best thing to walking tall?

Engrish and Kneehongo

2008-04-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Why do people feel the need to try to look cool by buying apparel or getting tattoos with writing in a foreign tongue they don't understand? Why oh why?

Tipping the Scale

2008-04-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

After being sick one week, then insanely busy with work last week, I finally got back to the gym yesterday. Part of my Sunday morning ritual before going to the gym is stepping on the scale. After two weeks of not working out, I expected to be a few pounds heavier than when I last weighed myself three weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised - I had actually lost an additional five pounds. The needle was just to the left of the line for 200 lbs. I'm going to call it 199.5 lbs. and say it's the first time I've been that light in close to 5 years.

Why do we spend so much time at the gym if we can accomplish just as much weight loss (or more) with sickness and elevated levels of stress? I think I'll start a "stomach flu with new responsibilities at work" diet. I guarantee somebody will buy my book. Who wants to help me write the draft for the infomercial?

Patriotic?

2008-04-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Is my Japanese wife more patriotic than I am (as in an American patriot, not a Japanese patriot)? Let me elaborate.

Since we got married June of last year, this was the first time we had the option of "married filing jointly" when filing our taxes. I went through all of the paperwork and found we'd be getting a return close to $3000 - roughly two-thirds of that being from my wife's withholdings, one-third being the savings for filing "married filing jointly" as opposed to "married filing separately", and the portion from my withholdings being nearly negligible.

From one perspective, a large return is bad since it basically means you've given the government an interest free loan over the course of the last year. Or can sacrificing the interest/returns you could have made on that money for the greater good of the country be seen as patriotic?

If so, that would make my wife more patriotic than me.

Elated Insomniac

2008-04-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Great news! My wife will be moving to live with me in July. When she made the final decision on Sunday, I told her I was so excited that my head might explode. She thought I was being sarcastic, but I was serious. This is a VERY big deal for me (and for her too, I think).

So, that's the elated part.

As of Tuesday of last week my responsibilities at work have changed. I've been put into more of a leadership role, helping oversee and guide people who do the work I was doing up until last Monday. Honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the change - I've gotten much busier in the past week. At first I thought I wouldn't really enjoy the new responsibilities and would want to return to my previous job, but though I've been insanely busy the past several days, I'm finding I really enjoy it. I feel I have more control over the quality of our product, and am faced with more interesting challenges. I think the new responsibilities will help me grow as an individual (sorry about getting cheesy on you). Maybe it was perfect timing for a change - I had been doing the same job for ~1.5 years and was feeling a bit bored and stale.

So, with the change in responsibilities, I've inherited a very hot potato. And apparently "I've only been on this project for two days" isn't a good enough excuse for not making progress and not understanding the history of the project. It's only Tuesday and I've probably worked 30+ hours already this week. Yeah, I'm a party animal.

Oh, the insomnia part? I guess it's the excitement and anxiousness that comes along with a job change (nervous isn't the right word), but I haven't been able to sleep since Friday night.

So there you go, I'm an elated insomniac.

Claw BSME

2008-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, I confess. I have long fingernails. But only on my righthand, and I keep the pinky nail trimmed. I've even been known to glue on an acryllic nail when one of my natural nails breaks.

Surprisingly I don't get many questions/comments on my fingernails. Of course, a few people at work have asked me, but that's expected since we work together on a daily basis. When I'm out and about, I can only think of two times when someone has asked me, and both of those have occurred in the past two months. Both times I was asked "do you play guitar?" or "what kind of guitar do you play, classical or regular?" Both times I was tempted to respond similar to Don Ross - "Yes, I play guitar, but don't tell my mother - she thinks I'm a cross-dresser."

Unfortunately, the long nails are no substitute for practice time. I've been very lazy when it comes to practicing guitar. But even with regular practice, I don't think I'll ever reach the level of Don Ross, Andy McKee, or Antoine Dufour.

Oh, by the way, if you like the videos I have linked above, be sure to check out their other videos on YouTube (Andy's "Drifting" has over 10 million views) and maybe pickup some of their albums on iTunes or at candyrat.com. There, end of plug for some of my favorite guitarists.

Incredible Dog Finals vs. NFL Playoffs

2007-01-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

I flipped the tv on for some background noise this morning (technically afternoon, I guess). I figured I'd leave the Jets/Patriots wildcard playoff game on while I showered, dressed, and did some cleaning. The last tv I watched was the Colts/Chiefs game yesterday (go Colts!), so my tv was still on the local NBC station. So what was NBC showing today at the same time CBS was showing the NFL wildcard game? The Purina Incredible Dog Finals. It apparently includes several events, but I only witnessed the one represented by the picture on the left: Dog Diving.

As you can pretty well figure out from the name and the picture, the dogs get a running start from a platform and jump into a pool of water. It's basically a doggy long jump. The dogs start at the far end of the platform, some shaking and drooling with excitement, while the trainer encourages the dog to "stay" and waves the dog's favorite toy. When the trainer determines the timing is right, they cue the dog ("Gunner! Go Gunner! Go get it!") and toss the toy into the water, of course luring the dog to jump into the pool.

As with most sporting events, there are commentators to explain the finer points of skill and strategy for us: "Look at that dog's form!" (how do you improve a dog's jumping form!?), "That was a great jump! The throw was key to that jump." (gee, do ya think?), "Jim chooses to use a rubber chicken for Benji's jumps."

I found myself captivated by it all. I probably watched for a good 10-15 minutes until I finally changed the channel. I got to thinking - how do you become a commentator for the Incredible Dog Finals? Or, even better, how do you become a cameraman? "This is just a temporary gig. Someday I'll be a cameraman for professional sports."

I'm kind of poking fun, but who am I to judge? To each his own.

For those interested, there are podcasts available here.

The Pad In Peoria

2006-09-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

With the help of Mom, Dad, and Ben all of my stuff was in my new apartment a week ago. (Thanks again guys!) I've spent the last two days getting everything organized and put away, and I think I'm just about done. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, then had the startling realization that actually some of my stuff is still at Mom and Dad's. Why do I have so much "stuff"? Looking at all of my stuff reminded me of part of an old George Carlin routine I caught on tv a few weeks ago: Why do we need an apartment/house? To hold all of our stuff. And what happens when we get too much stuff? We need a bigger house to hold all of our stuff. What do we do when we travel out of town? We have to decide what our favorite stuff is, because we can't take all of our stuff with us.

Life would certainly be simpler if we all had less stuff.

I have to admit though, after a year of basically living with only my stuff that I could fit in my car, it's nice to have all of my stuff again. I haven't used my own kitchen knives again yet, but that's one of the small things I'm looking forward to; the knives in furnished apartments aren't of the best quality.

I even had the pleasure of doing my laundry in my own washer and dryer today (as in they are mine - they didn't come with the apartment).

Well, here are a few pics of my new pad. Pardon the mess. As I mentioned a moment ago, a few things need to be put away yet.

Enter the front door and in front of you and to your right is the living/dining room area:

And to the left is the kitchen:

The other side of the kitchen:

Attached to the kitchen is the laundry/utility room. Please note MY washer and dryer:

And Dad, I managed to finally get that dryer duct routed and clamped down. Wasn't really that bad once I pulled the washer out and cut the duct down to a more appropriate length:

Okay, back to the living room (feel free to admire my high-tech entertainment system):

My balcony:

Every king must have his throne:

And my bedroom/office:

From another angle:

And another angle (note that there are neither skeletons nor Tom Cruise in the closet):

Since I wanted to box up all of my CDs and put them away somewhere, I decided to rip them all so I'd have them on my computer. I spent a good deal of time doing that last night and this morning. The result? I now have over 11 GB of music on my computer. According to iTunes, that's 8.5 days of music without any repeats. Too bad I have to go to work next week...

Atlanta Trip Report (Two Months Late)

2006-04-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been about two months now since fu-min came for a visit and we visited some places in the Atlanta area. Kind of a late update, but better late than never, right?

Big sign or little woman?

We went through the CNN studio tour. It was pretty interesting and you get to see some artifacts like a road sign brought back from Iraq that has so many bulletholes in it that it looks like swiss cheese.

The Coca-Cola Insignia in Japanese

We also went to the "World of Coca-Cola" which is basically a museum of all things Coca-Cola. They have old bottles, old ads, etc. They even have a room setup as an old-fashioned soda shop with a soda jerk who gives a presentation on how fountain sodas used to be made. They also have free samples of U.S. beverages and international beverages made by Coca-Cola. The bottom two on my list: Bitter Something-or-other (don't remember the exact name) from Italy and Ginger Beer from South Africa. What makes these two so horrible? In both cases the name is very representative of the taste.

Landsh... er, Whaleshark

With the Georgia Aquarium having been completed last November, no trip to Atlanta is complete without a visit to the world's largest aquarium. The ocean display is great (part of which you see above). They have two whalesharks, a tunnel you walk through which goes under the tank, and the largest viewing window in North America (the picture above). If you'd like to go to the aquarium, my advice would be to go on a weekday and go first thing in the morning; the place gets packed!

Reach out and touch... a starfish

Tybee Lighthouse

We paid a visit to Tybee Lighthouse which is on Tybee Island (near Savannah). We climbed all the way to the top, but didn't have the nerve to walk around the external walkway at the top.

Fort Pulaski: The first fort to get the crap blown out of it by rifled cannon

We also visited Fort Pulaski which is about halfway between Savannah and Tybee Island. Fort Pulaski was built due to a lesson learned during the War of 1812: American waterways could be better protected. The fort's design and construction was the first assignment for a Westpoint graduate who is now better known as a Hemi Orange 1969 Dodge Charger with a Confederate flag painted on the roof (Robert E. Lee). After the fort was built several years passed, the fort wasn't kept up as well as it could have been, and it was starting to look like Georgia would join the Confederacy in war against the North. Southern soldiers captured the fort from a handful of Union soldiers without needing to fire a single bullet. The Confederates dug in and brought the fort back up to the kind of condition it should have been in. When Union guns started showing up across the river, the officers in command of Fort Pulaski weren't worried. General Lee himself had told them that the Union cannon wouldn't be able to do any significant damage from that distance. I mean, who wouldn't have believed him? He built the place! Well, little did General Lee know that the Union had developed a new weapon and the power of the rifled cannon was about to be unleashed for the first time in battle. The Union guns knocked down a large part of the fort's outer wall (you can see the area that had to be repaired--the bricks are a brighter orange and there are no pock marks from shells) and the Confederates surrendered the fort (surprisingly, there were very few casulties). To this day you can still see some of the shells lodged in the damaged outer wall. This place is a pretty neat little piece of history.

The first victim of rifled cannon -- forts would never be built the same again

The things that make life worth livin'...

2006-02-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

I spent the past week in Utah for a business trip. I lucked out because I was staying an hour away from where my oldest sister lives. I got to spend pretty much every evening with my sister, her husband, and their two daughters.

It always makes me feel special when I pull up to their house and see two little faces pressed against the window. Kids can be a lot of fun, and my nieces are no exception. I really enjoyed spending time with them.

I also enjoyed being able to get out of the house for some one-on-one time with my big sister. Thanks for the good times big sis and family!

Field Trip: The Cyclorama

2006-02-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend I made my first fieldtrip to Atlanta. I decided to go see the Cyclorama in Grant Park. Apparently this was a bit of a fad after the Civil War -- large oil paintings put together in the shape of a cylinder. In the case of the Atlanta Cyclorama, it is a painting depicting the Battle of Atlanta from the Civil War. The painting is 42 ft. tall and 358 ft. in circumference. It used to be larger, but due to being transported around and such over 100 and some years, it's been worn down a bit. The painting is suspended with stadium seating setup on a platform inside the cylinder. The stadium seating is concentric to the painting and 30 ft. less in radius. The 30 ft. in between is filled with a diorama to give the painting more of a 3-Dimensional appearance. The stadium seating slowly rotates while different images from the painting are highlighted by a spotlight and explained by a narration. It was really pretty interesting. The building also contains the restored locomotive "Texas" which was involved in the "Great Locomotive Chase" of the Civil War. (I hadn't heard of it before, so don't feel bad if you haven't either.)

The Cyclorama Building from the front

The next picture shows the rear part of the building where the painting is housed. You can see the metal structure that supports that part of the building (the painting weighs 9000 pounds!). If you take a close look at that part of the building and the metal structure, they are covered with lightning rods (they didn't show up in any of my pictures). I guess it makes sense for a building housing 9000 lbs. of canvas and oil paint valued at $20 million. If it was mine I certainly wouldn't want it going up in smoke due to a lightning strike!

The part of the building that houses the painting

If you're interested in reading more about the Cyclorama try these two websites:

http://www.bcaatlanta.com/index.php?pid=81

http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/cyclorama.html

The Pad

2006-02-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, now that you've seen my ride, here's a quick virtual tour of my apartment. First, the building from outside:

Then up the stairs and to the right:

Come on in!

Take an immediate left after you enter the apartment, and there's me bedroom (bed complete with skirt and pillow shams):

Turn around and there's my computer (and the tower of boxes):

Connected to my bedroom is the study:

Back out to the common area, here's the living room:

The dining room:

Kitchen:

And finally, attached to the kitchen is the laundry room (out of respect of my roommates privacy, I didn't include any pictures of his bedroom):

My New Ride

2006-02-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

All right y'all, here's the long-awaited update of how life is in Georgia. As you probably know, I flew down here last Saturday (Jan. 28) and have had a week or so to get settled in. I'm already getting ready to head off to Utah for a week for some business-related travel. Anyhoo, I wanted to provide somewhat of a photo journal of my travels through the remainder of my rotations. So,with no further ado here's my current (rental) ride:

My current ride: 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser

The folks at Enterprise gave me a choice of an Impala, Taurus, Saturn, PT Cruiser, or HHR. I figured I'd give the PT Cruiser a try. It's nice having a little more cargo space than I'm used to, but I don't think this car was made for tall people. I'm 6'1" and even with the driver's seat down as far as it goes I often find myself hunching down so the roofline doesn't obstruct my line of sight (especially when I'm waiting at a stoplight).

Cargo space: More than my Civic - no big surprise there

I like the dash and gauges, though. And I really like having all of the little compartments in the center console to stash my stuff in (as in iPod, coin purse, sunglasses, etc.)

Dash and gauges

And of course, what everyone was waiting for, the massive poweplant that pushes this rig down the road. Quoting the Chrysler website:

"PT Cruiser's standard 2.4-liter 16-valve 4-cylinder DOHC power plant offers 150 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 165 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. You'll appreciate those numbers when you step on the gas pedal to climb a hill or pass another vehicle."

Yeah, I guess I missed the memo on that one. I'd really appreciate having slightly larger numbers when I mash the pedal. I think they left out some of the fine print. So, I took the liberty of editing that last sentence:

"You'll appreciate those numbers when you step on the gas pedal to climb a hill or pass another vehicle (but only if you don't mind having a car with no cajones whatsoever)."

A different word initially came to mind, but I thought "cajones" might be more acceptable, especially since my mom will be reading this. Well, sorry to keep you waiting, here's the powerplant with those great numbers:

2.4 Liter 4-cylinder: Standard equipment for PT Cruiser

At least I think there's an engine in there somewhere under all of that plastic. At least there better be -- according to the in-dash mpg calculation I'm getting an average 21 miles per gallon. With a 4-cylinder!? The PT Cruiser is doing a good job of getting me from point A to point B, but it does have a few shortcomings (poor acceleration, poor gas mileage, poor visibility for people other than pygmies). I think that at the end of this month I may trade it in for something else, then I can bore you all with another car review. Oh well, as far as I'm concerned, the folks at DaimlerChrysler will redeem themselves of any wrongdoings ever done if they would just put the Challenger concept car into production:

My next rental (I wish): 2006 Dodge Challenger Concept Car