Every year there's a lively ol' dinner hosted in D.C. by the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association. Hence "Radio and TV Correspondents' Association Dinner." This year proved to be as interesting as last year's (the first one I've ever watched) and I get a big kick out of the President poking fun at his past year and himself. What I particularly like about this is that President Bush is just so darling when he is self-deprecating and moderately humorous. He knows he's not a stand-up comedian and he knows he's not slap-the-knee hilarious, he just tries. Were Mr. President and I to ever hold a conversation between ourselves, I have no doubt that while I would respect and honor him as my President, there would definitely be an atmosphere of ease and good humour. This is someone who I would want in the family at get-togethers, putting everyone at ease, mingling with all, and yet one knows they could sit down and have a good solid conversation with him.
While many mock his presidency and take up arms against his policies, I would like to point out one thing: if I feel I can trust this man in my family, you'd better believe I can trust him with domestic and international matters. This isn't to say that if you can trust Uncle Steve over there on the couch watching wrestling with a beer in his hand, then he's qualified to be on the forefront of domestic and international policy. As a President, he is someone I would be eager to claim as a relative. Uncle Steve as a relative is not someone I would be eager to claim as President.
Thus I am very delighted to post highlights of the RT Correspondents' Dinner.
Of course, one cannot pass up the Deputy Chief of Staff in his musical debut.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
March Madness
In honor of March Madness, my blog will be honoring it's authoress' alma mater and #1 tournament pic.
GO BUCKS!
GO BUCKS!
The power of words.
Right now I'm in the middle of extreme data entry. Extreme in that it is pushing my attention span and anger threshold to the max. Apparently one of our parent companies decided that every center in this hemisphere must update their information and send it in at once.
Translation: 1500 centers send in one survey per center to my lovely little desk and I update all of their information in our database. Out of 1500 surveys, at least 65% of them are incorrectly filled out and I have to call the center to get the proper information.
Conversation: "Hi, this is (my name) from (my company). I'm calling about the survey you sent and wanted to know if (questionable information about location/services/hours) are correct."
Center staff: "Who are you?... What does your company do?"
Thus my days are spent explaining my company to the person who sent the survey in to my company! Heck, we're not even a company! We're non-profit! Those centers would not have clients if it were not for us! (note: we are not in the business of getting girls pregnant, spreading STDs, or kicking pregnant girls out of their homes.) Heck, we can even make the appointments for the girls for the center. We're flipping all-inclusive-help. Right, back to the surveys.
I hate these surveys. I mean, passionately despise them. Not only do I have to spend 3/4 of my DAY entering these surveys, but in order to complete my true job tasks these surveys must be finished. Here's an equation for you: hating surveys + loathing of entering the surveys + having to enter the surveys = low work productivity. Want those marketing reports? Want to know how well WV's billboard campaign ran last year? Too bad. O what? You want reimbursed for your travels? Hah. Try again. In fact, try again in a week.
Oh, what's that you say? Just enter them quickly and you'll be done with it? Nice idea, Einstein. Gee, why didn't I think of that? Just move along more quickly; it's just like ripping off a band-aid. Have I mentioned the inane, mind-numbing, gag-reflex inducing pain that is a survey? Have I mentioned that with each day of entering the aforementioned blindingly horrendous surveys, brain-cells flee by the thousands? All I have to do is glance at a survey and a grey mist begins enshrouding various parts of my brain. The left and right sides are now tinged, nay the borders are even more encroached upon, by a grey haze of nothingness.
Then every so often, someone from the outside (as in, everyone else in this office) will dare to stop their beautiful work day to inquire as to how I am doing. Bless them, Lord. May they always know of Your unfailing love.
So they move closer to this mass of turmoil that is my desk and speak to me. Usually, as I sit covered in this mountain of surveys, their voices come to me as rescuers come to those stranded in the depths of an avalanche. Is it possible? Could that be? No... it must be my imagination.... but wait! It is! There are voices out there and they are calling to me! Slowly and surely the haze retreats, ever so slightly, and brain functions being to churn into motion. Speech slowly makes its way to my mouth and I begin to utter a few monosyllabic grunts. Should that unfortunate being remain long enough they will gaze in utter amazement as my head pops out of these snowy-esque papers. Then as my lips form intelligible words, o the beautiful words, they will gaze fondly upon me as a parent does their child when they have just uttered those beautiful nonsensical words that most interpret as "da da," or "ma ma."
It is no wonder then that at the moment, my iPod is playing, on repeat, "Caught Out there," by Kelis (also known as "I Hate You So Much.") It is no wonder then that every night I scurry off to the gym for a run. I need my running time to ease my mind back into a properly functioning state. It's hard to head straight off to a people-friendly function as the shock is sometimes too much for my brain. If you've ever caught me right after work, please understand that it's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just can't comprehend and react with conversation. The blank stare and gaping mouth are not permanent, keep talking and I will respond within the half-hour. This also explains how after that half-hour of re-entry into society, I can't stop talking. It's as a semi taking off down the road. Slowly it moves along, snails beating it by furloughs on either side, then a lurch, an increase in speed, another lurch, and the speed nearly doubles. Then when the semi has reached full speed, try stopping it. Let me refer to Sir Issac Newton's First Law of Motion. Yes, my brain can be affected by inertia, not just physically, but mentally.
Now let me bring in the subject line for this post. The power of words. Communication is important, speaking to the people you're around is important. Silence may be polite, but there are times when it could not be more detrimental to the people around you. Pay attention to those with whom you interact and respond accordingly. Heed the words you use when you interact with them and never ever speak down to them, they might just be smart enough to understand you, yet caught in the grey haze. Remember also the actual power of your words with regards to you speaking them. This has been a fun post to write but I know it did absolutely nothing to inspire any positive/optimistic thinking towards my job. (see, vocab is definitely suffering, I dislike severely using "thinking," when I know there is another word that will substitute much more aptly). Singing "I hate you so much, AGHH," at my computer and mountains of surveys around me does nothing but urge me to hate them more. Forcing myself to like them is quite out of the question, burning them would be more satisfying (which I still might) but the longer I sit here and speak words of loathing upon them, I might as well be speaking that same ill will towards the people running the centers and the girls headed to them.
Translation: 1500 centers send in one survey per center to my lovely little desk and I update all of their information in our database. Out of 1500 surveys, at least 65% of them are incorrectly filled out and I have to call the center to get the proper information.
Conversation: "Hi, this is (my name) from (my company). I'm calling about the survey you sent and wanted to know if (questionable information about location/services/hours) are correct."
Center staff: "Who are you?... What does your company do?"
Thus my days are spent explaining my company to the person who sent the survey in to my company! Heck, we're not even a company! We're non-profit! Those centers would not have clients if it were not for us! (note: we are not in the business of getting girls pregnant, spreading STDs, or kicking pregnant girls out of their homes.) Heck, we can even make the appointments for the girls for the center. We're flipping all-inclusive-help. Right, back to the surveys.
I hate these surveys. I mean, passionately despise them. Not only do I have to spend 3/4 of my DAY entering these surveys, but in order to complete my true job tasks these surveys must be finished. Here's an equation for you: hating surveys + loathing of entering the surveys + having to enter the surveys = low work productivity. Want those marketing reports? Want to know how well WV's billboard campaign ran last year? Too bad. O what? You want reimbursed for your travels? Hah. Try again. In fact, try again in a week.
Oh, what's that you say? Just enter them quickly and you'll be done with it? Nice idea, Einstein. Gee, why didn't I think of that? Just move along more quickly; it's just like ripping off a band-aid. Have I mentioned the inane, mind-numbing, gag-reflex inducing pain that is a survey? Have I mentioned that with each day of entering the aforementioned blindingly horrendous surveys, brain-cells flee by the thousands? All I have to do is glance at a survey and a grey mist begins enshrouding various parts of my brain. The left and right sides are now tinged, nay the borders are even more encroached upon, by a grey haze of nothingness.
Then every so often, someone from the outside (as in, everyone else in this office) will dare to stop their beautiful work day to inquire as to how I am doing. Bless them, Lord. May they always know of Your unfailing love.
So they move closer to this mass of turmoil that is my desk and speak to me. Usually, as I sit covered in this mountain of surveys, their voices come to me as rescuers come to those stranded in the depths of an avalanche. Is it possible? Could that be? No... it must be my imagination.... but wait! It is! There are voices out there and they are calling to me! Slowly and surely the haze retreats, ever so slightly, and brain functions being to churn into motion. Speech slowly makes its way to my mouth and I begin to utter a few monosyllabic grunts. Should that unfortunate being remain long enough they will gaze in utter amazement as my head pops out of these snowy-esque papers. Then as my lips form intelligible words, o the beautiful words, they will gaze fondly upon me as a parent does their child when they have just uttered those beautiful nonsensical words that most interpret as "da da," or "ma ma."
It is no wonder then that at the moment, my iPod is playing, on repeat, "Caught Out there," by Kelis (also known as "I Hate You So Much.") It is no wonder then that every night I scurry off to the gym for a run. I need my running time to ease my mind back into a properly functioning state. It's hard to head straight off to a people-friendly function as the shock is sometimes too much for my brain. If you've ever caught me right after work, please understand that it's not that I don't want to talk to you, I just can't comprehend and react with conversation. The blank stare and gaping mouth are not permanent, keep talking and I will respond within the half-hour. This also explains how after that half-hour of re-entry into society, I can't stop talking. It's as a semi taking off down the road. Slowly it moves along, snails beating it by furloughs on either side, then a lurch, an increase in speed, another lurch, and the speed nearly doubles. Then when the semi has reached full speed, try stopping it. Let me refer to Sir Issac Newton's First Law of Motion. Yes, my brain can be affected by inertia, not just physically, but mentally.
Now let me bring in the subject line for this post. The power of words. Communication is important, speaking to the people you're around is important. Silence may be polite, but there are times when it could not be more detrimental to the people around you. Pay attention to those with whom you interact and respond accordingly. Heed the words you use when you interact with them and never ever speak down to them, they might just be smart enough to understand you, yet caught in the grey haze. Remember also the actual power of your words with regards to you speaking them. This has been a fun post to write but I know it did absolutely nothing to inspire any positive/optimistic thinking towards my job. (see, vocab is definitely suffering, I dislike severely using "thinking," when I know there is another word that will substitute much more aptly). Singing "I hate you so much, AGHH," at my computer and mountains of surveys around me does nothing but urge me to hate them more. Forcing myself to like them is quite out of the question, burning them would be more satisfying (which I still might) but the longer I sit here and speak words of loathing upon them, I might as well be speaking that same ill will towards the people running the centers and the girls headed to them.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Irena Sendler
Noticed this Holocaust article on msnbc and did a little bit of investigating.
Makes me wonder, "What am I doing?"
And yes, I just discovered how to link to a page and now show the whole entire link. I'm pretty excited about it!
Makes me wonder, "What am I doing?"
- There's more here about Ms. Sendler, but it's more focused on the girls in Kansas and the play.
- For some more information, which I personally found more helpful than msnbc and the Kansas website, Ol' Wikipedia comes to the rescue.
And yes, I just discovered how to link to a page and now show the whole entire link. I'm pretty excited about it!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
MasterCard Parents
Monthly rent for apartment in the city (to get away from home ): $366 + utilities
Four months in small group that you found on your own: 40 hours of lost sleep/various activity costs
Attending graduation party for small group member: $4.50 for Hallmark Card
Parents showing up (unexpectedly/uninvited) on motorcycle at college graduation party of aforementioned member: 20 minutes of mortification where even death itself would shudder.
Having every person there audibly wish they had your parents: Priceless
Four months in small group that you found on your own: 40 hours of lost sleep/various activity costs
Attending graduation party for small group member: $4.50 for Hallmark Card
Parents showing up (unexpectedly/uninvited) on motorcycle at college graduation party of aforementioned member: 20 minutes of mortification where even death itself would shudder.
Having every person there audibly wish they had your parents: Priceless
Monday, March 05, 2007
Blogging the Bible
My superior, Bri, recommended this blog to me and I must say, it's very interesting. Jewish guy, David Plotz, is reading through the Bible and adding his own commentary. Now, I know, who wants to read about someone else reading the Bible? Right, but give it a chance. He's not a practicing Jew, yet has decided to see what the OT is all about. (running low on sleep so I'm having a hard time making this sound intriguing, but rest assured, it is)
http://www.slate.com/id/2141050/
Give it a once-over and then check out his actual blogs. It's kinda cool to see him run into the prophecies of the Christ.
http://www.slate.com/id/2141050/
Give it a once-over and then check out his actual blogs. It's kinda cool to see him run into the prophecies of the Christ.
Friday, March 02, 2007
And the tides began to change
From the time the U.S entered The War in 1941 to early 1943, the Pacific Theater was pretty much being run by the Japanese. The U.S was ill-equipped, albeit rushing to up the ante, and struggling against a well-prepared foe. As soon as the factories began turning out subs, ships, and fighters/bombers, the U.S began quickly catching up. Here's one of the more pivotal points in the war waged in the Pacific Theater. (About this time in the European Theater, the Soviets are busily maintaing their lead after whomping all over the Germans at Stalingrad. The U.S. has just started their bombing campaigns on Germany.)
Anyway, this is the point: the U.S has finally begun to make progress in the Pacific. Read on.
1943 : The Battle of the Bismarck Sea
On this day, U.S. and Australian land-based planes begin an offensive against a convoy of Japanese ships in the Bismarck Sea, in the western Pacific.
On March 1, U.S. reconnaissance planes spotted 16 Japanese ships en route to Lae and Salamaua in New Guinea. The Japanese were attempting to keep from losing the island and their garrisons there by sending 7,000 reinforcements and aircraft fuel and supplies. But a U.S. bombing campaign, beginning March 2 and lasting until the March 4, consisting of 137 American bombers supported by U.S. and Australian fighters, destroyed eight Japanese troop transports and four Japanese destroyers. More than 3,000 Japanese troops and sailors drowned as a consequence, and the supplies sunk with their ships. Of 150 Japanese fighter planes that attempted to engage the American bombers, 102 were shot down. It was an utter disaster for the Japanese--the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force dropped a total of 213 tons of bombs on the Japanese convoy.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill chose March 4, the official end of the battle, to congratulate President Franklin D. Roosevelt, since that day was also the 10th anniversary of the president's first inauguration. "Accept my warmest congratulations on your brilliant victory in the Pacific, which fitly salutes the end of your first 10 years."
Many thanks to the History Channel for this summary. You rock.
Anyway, this is the point: the U.S has finally begun to make progress in the Pacific. Read on.
1943 : The Battle of the Bismarck Sea
On this day, U.S. and Australian land-based planes begin an offensive against a convoy of Japanese ships in the Bismarck Sea, in the western Pacific.
On March 1, U.S. reconnaissance planes spotted 16 Japanese ships en route to Lae and Salamaua in New Guinea. The Japanese were attempting to keep from losing the island and their garrisons there by sending 7,000 reinforcements and aircraft fuel and supplies. But a U.S. bombing campaign, beginning March 2 and lasting until the March 4, consisting of 137 American bombers supported by U.S. and Australian fighters, destroyed eight Japanese troop transports and four Japanese destroyers. More than 3,000 Japanese troops and sailors drowned as a consequence, and the supplies sunk with their ships. Of 150 Japanese fighter planes that attempted to engage the American bombers, 102 were shot down. It was an utter disaster for the Japanese--the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force dropped a total of 213 tons of bombs on the Japanese convoy.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill chose March 4, the official end of the battle, to congratulate President Franklin D. Roosevelt, since that day was also the 10th anniversary of the president's first inauguration. "Accept my warmest congratulations on your brilliant victory in the Pacific, which fitly salutes the end of your first 10 years."
Many thanks to the History Channel for this summary. You rock.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Easing up
I think I can finally breathe again. It comes with our nature, I believe, to over think things and mull over them until the point of obsession. At least it is mine! As soon as an idea forms within my mind, forget common sense and reality. Take my last few posts for example. Well, just the last two. The first one (Stupid wonderful life) obsessed over moving out on my own. I don't think I'm bold enough to say my mind. When, through patience and consideration, I was able to talk it out with someone I respect, I found that I wasn't fearful, I wasn't a coward, I just plain and simple felt no need to strike out on my own. Now that I've addressed that issue, it's probably very likely that I will. But now that I've calmed down and don't have to, I'm much more open to the idea. I had a horse that every time I introduced something new, she balked. As soon as I released her from any pressure of having to do that, the next time I asked her she was more than willing to go through with it.
I think it comes with the territory. I'm a fairly cheerful person. To think negatively feels like nails on chalkboard and so my joy is very dear to me, we get along quite well. However, my joy is something that once obtained, I have to fight to retain. Doubts and insecurities will creep in as soon as joy walks through the door. It's hard to fight for something that is now overshadowed by doubt! What's the point in fighting for something that might not really exist? It's easy to be joyful when surrounded by joyful people, but as soon as I'm alone the doubts creep in. Not fair, huh! Well, I like to think I'm a hot commodity for the Kingdom and if my joy is stolen, then who will I want share His love with? I tend to frustrate, annoy, and irritate those around me (as does anyone in my position) when my joy is gone, it's just against my nature. I become grounded in myself and desperate to try anything to regain my joy. Things dear to me become even dearer (aka my life, those close to me) and I fear that if my joy is gone, I'll lose them.
It's scary to be so honest! What eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) happens though is that somewhere along the line, the Spirit manages to force it's way through all the commotion and through me a lifeline. There's always a note attached to this lifeline with these words, "I AM." At the risk of sounding.... cheesy, He is my calm in the storm. I step out of the whirl of my life and into His calm reality. My life is not my own, everything around me and in my life is there only for as long as God wills it. Such sweet surrender comes from that knowledge. It's quite freeing actually. I'm pretty sure there's a nice little pattern in my blogging as well. Weeks will go by lighthearted and cheerful, then there will be a flurry of desperate sounding posts, followed by the "whew, I made it through," post. This is one of them. David had them too.
Wait, a tic.. don't those with genius capabilities go through these ups and downs? Hmm.
I think it comes with the territory. I'm a fairly cheerful person. To think negatively feels like nails on chalkboard and so my joy is very dear to me, we get along quite well. However, my joy is something that once obtained, I have to fight to retain. Doubts and insecurities will creep in as soon as joy walks through the door. It's hard to fight for something that is now overshadowed by doubt! What's the point in fighting for something that might not really exist? It's easy to be joyful when surrounded by joyful people, but as soon as I'm alone the doubts creep in. Not fair, huh! Well, I like to think I'm a hot commodity for the Kingdom and if my joy is stolen, then who will I want share His love with? I tend to frustrate, annoy, and irritate those around me (as does anyone in my position) when my joy is gone, it's just against my nature. I become grounded in myself and desperate to try anything to regain my joy. Things dear to me become even dearer (aka my life, those close to me) and I fear that if my joy is gone, I'll lose them.
It's scary to be so honest! What eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) happens though is that somewhere along the line, the Spirit manages to force it's way through all the commotion and through me a lifeline. There's always a note attached to this lifeline with these words, "I AM." At the risk of sounding.... cheesy, He is my calm in the storm. I step out of the whirl of my life and into His calm reality. My life is not my own, everything around me and in my life is there only for as long as God wills it. Such sweet surrender comes from that knowledge. It's quite freeing actually. I'm pretty sure there's a nice little pattern in my blogging as well. Weeks will go by lighthearted and cheerful, then there will be a flurry of desperate sounding posts, followed by the "whew, I made it through," post. This is one of them. David had them too.
Wait, a tic.. don't those with genius capabilities go through these ups and downs? Hmm.
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