The Humpty Dance.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. Just finished some studying - double quiz tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be ready.

Anyway, 2 weeks left of the school semester! And less than 2 weeks until vacation! Woopee!

I was talking to Brian today, and I was telling him that I really need a vacation - I'm starting to "check out" at work. You know, like getting burnt out. I need a vacation badly. Luckily, next week is going to be a 4 day workweek, and so is the week after!

Love it.

So today I was getting set up for a meeting while Brian was talking to me. And for some reason I was asking him to stop doing something and said, "allright, stop what you're doing..."

And of course, I had to finish up with...

Cause I'm about to ruin
the image and the style that ya used to
I look funny
but yo I'm makin' money, see
so yo world I hope you're ready for me.

And no, I'm totally not making this up :)

And he just kinds of looks at me and says (with a totally straight face), "are you making this up?"

So maybe Digital Underground wasn't as popular as I thought?

(shrug)

So the moral of this story is that yes, even rap lyrics have their place in corporate America.

What else...

One of my grad school friends got in touch with me through Friendster. It was a nice surprise. I don't think I've talked to her since grad school graduation in 2000.

I can't believe it's been 4 years since I've graduated.

Time is definitely flying by.

-Kirk

Bring out the fleece.

Hi all,

This morning, I had to bring out the good old fleece jacket. Yes, it was that cold. It made me want to go back inside the house to change into a longsleeve shirt. Just for the morning though, after that it was fine.

After getting over the initial shock of having to wear a jacket, I remembered that it was pretty close to September. I can still remember starting elementary school in the fall (back in the day) and how it was relatively cool in the mornings - while waiting outside of the classroom before school started.

I can remember walking on crunchy leaves that had fallen on the ground too.

Ahh, those were the days.

-Kirk

The Grand Am theory

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening...

Mark and I were talking about cars this evening, and I shared my Grand Am theory. Just a disclaimer - this theory only applies to the Metro Detroit area - your actual results may vary.

So next time you're driving beside or parked next to a Pontiac Grand Am, take a look over - most likely there's a hottie behind the wheel. (not that I'm looking, of course)

You increase your chances of seeing a lovely young lady if the Grand Am is black. Bonus poins if it's a coupe too. Later the model (2000 and up) increases the chances even more.

Laughing? Road test it, I'm sure you'll agree. I can't think of any other cars that have more consistent drivers.

Let me know if you find otherwise.

-Kirk

Fast week, fast weekend.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well.

This weekend flew by as quickly as the week did. I can't believe tomorrow's Monday already.

So for the first time ever, I am going on my own vacation. Not staying at anyone's house, not visiting anyone. Gene (my traveling buddy) was thinking about coming down one weekend in September to visit - but for an extra 20 bucks, he would be able to fly down to Florida. And it would only be about $140.00 for me. Plane tickets are dirt cheap, letmetellya. But we're playing weather roulette. Here's a link to the weather in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Aren't those little rainclouds lovely?

Now we see the clearance deal on the Florida airline tickets :)

As an added bonus, we're in the middle of hurricane season... Woopee!

So it's either going to be a trip out to Florida to experience hurricane season firsthand (because looking at the poor weatherpeople outside being whipped by howevermanymileperhour winds is not real enough), or we'll be kicking it on the beach, where the biggest worry is when to reapply the sunscreen.

All is not gloom and doom though - A few of the live MTV shots ouside of the Awards Show (it was in Miami this year) made the place look like it was sunny.

So please, cross your fingers (and whatever else) for me.

Also, please send some positive thoughts my way. Thanks.

If it must rain, all I'm asking for is one day of nice weather (preferably Sunday, but I'll take what I can get).

Sooo, hopefully with a little luck on our sides, in two weeks, Geneman and I will be chilling poolside and remembering to put on sunscreen.

It's going to be an odd next few weeks, with the holiday and vacations coming up. I can't wait.

As Geneman was saying in his blog, he's trying to buff up to look good on the beach. I was inspired (plus, I didn't want to look tubby next to him since he's taller and skinnier) I worked out for the first time in what seems like months. (probably since school started for this semester).

Oh, so back to the landmark experience - I'm sure it's not a big deal to most people, but it is for me. This is my first spontaneous vacation, completely self-funded, and is something that I've always wanted to do - Just go somewhere sunny and relax on the beach.

It's also my own reward for passing the halfway point (the point of no return) of my degree!

(pat pat)

2 weeks left!

-Kirk

Folding clothes - Japanese style

I got this link off of Geneman's site:

How to fold a shirt

Now you too can have Gap style folded clothes without the board thingy that they use.

-Kirk

Lovingly embraced in shopping mall A/C

Hi everyone,

Hope you're doing well this evening. This week has totally flown by. Before I knew it, Wednesday had come, and it was all downhill from there.

We've been spoiled this summer with such mild weather. But today, the summer that we have come to expect showed up. 85 degrees with hella humidity. Like start sweating the minute you step out of the house humidity.

You may think 85 with hella humidity isn't bad - But when you've gotten acclimated to temps in the 70s, it's hot.

Damn hot.

It was hot enough that I almost drove home with the air conditioning on. And that usually doesn't happen (unless I'm driving with someone that doesn't like the open air feel). Once the car was moving, everything was peachy.

The office building was very well cooled (as usual), so I was fine during work. But there exists a better air conditioning - the kind in the shopping mall. We're talking rrefrigerator cold. From the minute you step through the double doors, you are lovingly engulfed in a special air conditioning that is unlike any other.

Can ya dig it?

Now you're probably wondering what makes shopping mall air conditioning so good? Well first things first, work is - well, work. There's somewhat of a bad stigma attached to it. But shopping mall air condioning is filled with mall smells - Scents of new goods and merchandise, people, and money.

I'm all about the experience.

At the mall, there's a more leisurely feel to it (provided you aren't there for any particular reason), especially while browsing.

I guess today was a special day as well - the new Sony Style store opened up. I love it when stores first open up. Most of the sales staff have new jobs so they seem like they're all quite happy. Stores are usually overstaffed in the beginning too, so help is not far away. While I was in there, I don't think 5 minutes passed without someone asking if I needed any help. It may seem annoying, but it's kind of different from the usual electronics / computer store experience. Best of all, everything works. All the display units aren't mangled, broken, badly manhandled, etc.

Not yet.

We'll have to see what happens - I would imagine the fine people at Sony would take care of their displays better than the average store - But we shall see. The store was very well done - it embodied the whole Sony brand, and they did the best they could with limited space. I hope the store does well.

Got to play with some new technologies - saw some stuff that I've only seen on the website. All was good in the world.

-Kirk

More than just a car wash.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. Just got back from a group meeting that ended early.

So for the past few days it's been raining off and on - and I've got these nasty looking hard water spots all over my car.

I just couldn't stand it anymore.

I usually wait until the weekend, but I had to get my car washed today. I just couldn't take it - It was like I was walking around with clothes that are all unwashed and stained with marks of shame.

A little dramatic?

Perhaps - But a car wash for me is like a type of therapy. It makes me feel pretty good afterwards. Besides, where else can you get therapy in less than 10 minutes for only a dollar?

Take that, Dr. Phil.

Here's to temporary highs...

-Kirk

Nobody can say I didn't try.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. I'm feeling poor.

My property taxes and tuition hit this month. In addition to all of the other crap that I have to pay for every month.

Brutal.

The BMW dream continues to be even more elusive. Grr.

The database instructor cancelled class this evening - It was pretty much an optional class that we could attend if we wanted to. The idea was to let everyone have time to work on their final projects during a normal class period. We had started last week, so we were about 2/3 done. We were able to finish up within an hour, so we left pretty early.

While waiting for my group members to pack up their stuff, I tried striking up a conversation with one of the young ladies of the class that had caught my eye.

No cheesy pickup line. Just tried to chat her up.

No such luck. Alas.

Oh well, what can ya do, right? At least I tried. It's more than I've done in the past.

Better luck next time.

-Kirk

Hilton HHonors is evil. They put the Ho in hotel.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well tonite...

Just a quick message about the tag line. (again, it's late)

Keep an eye on your preferred customer / frequent stay programs with the hotels. I didn't know this, but with the HHonors program, you have to stay at their hotels at least once a year in order to keep your account open with them.

Guess what if you're inactive?

Poof! All your hard earned stay points are gone. Just like that.

No rewards for me. They repoed 27,000 points from me. Wanks.

I found out the hard way when I tried to log in to their website. I had forgotten my PIN, so I tried their handy "forgot your PIN or password" tool. That's when I found out that my account was inactivated. So I figure it's no big deal, right? I just call the Hilton HHonors Shite Customer Service Center number. Guess what it asks for?

My PIN.

So let me get this straight - I've forgotten my PIN, so I get this toll free number to call. To talk to a customer service representative, I have to give my account number and PIN for "faster service?"

Come on.

(and no, there was no way to zero out or anything to talk to a live person). After trying a bunch of other different toll free numbers, I finally got ahold of someone live who then transferred me to a customer service person that could help me.

I find out that my account was inactivated (they supposedly sent me warning notices) and that I was out of luck. I was offered a 2500 point bonus if I activated my account and stayed in a Hilton property within the next 60 days. How nice.

Riight. I'll be making my reservations soon. Like maybe never.

-Kirk

I'm scared that I'm becoming the Man.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well today. It's late, so again, it's going to be a short blog entry today...

So I was scared of myself today. In normal conversation with Brian, I used the phrase "dynamically generated." I don't know what happened. It was like it creeped into my vocabulary out of the blue. I had the same feeling when I used "due diligence" when I was talking to Suzy.

Seriously, who uses "dynamically generated" in normal conversation?

It just seemed to be fitting. Much more elegant than, "well, it just makes changes as it needs to as new stuff comes in."

Excuses excuses.

-Kirk

Creature of Habit

Hi all,

Hope you've had a good weekend.

It's been a fun but stressful one for me...

I can't remember what I did on Friday - I know I watched some TV, but I thought I did some work too.

Oh well. Whatever.

Saturday was the Woodward Dream Cruise parking lot. Drew came up from Ann Arbor and we met up with Steve and E to go walk around. There was a Scion display put on by one of the local delaers - Got to check out the tC - in the flesh, uhh, I mean sheetmetal. I really like it. If I had to get a new car right this minute, I would strongly consider getting one - You can get it with lots of toys, right from the dealer.

Bling bling.

Dream Cruise was allright. Lots of american muscle. Still rather light on the imports. Once in a while you see some though. Kind of like the Ann Arbor Art fair, I think I'm not as enamored with it anymore. We'll see if we go again next year.

When I got home, again, I tried to do some homework.

See, that's why I don't like school. It feels like you should always be doing something "school like." Not watching TV, talking on the phone, whatever.

It's school time, all the time.

I had the naggy school feeling all day yesterday. So I was a little stressed in the morning, and then I was stressed last night.

This morning I woke up with a cold - And school beckoned for me to be its bitch.

And I was. Until this evening.

I worked all day on my portion of the final project for my online class. I don't know what it is, but I've been having a hard time trying to get my schoolwork done. It's been a mix of no motivation, and just having a hard time doing the stuff. I dunno.

I still have some stuff to do, which is rather unfortunate. But I will keep on keepin' on.

This evening my mom and I had pizza for dinner. I usually go down to the local chain pizza joint about 2 miles away from the house. Which is the one we always go to, right? Well this time, I was coming from the city home, so I took kind of the backway route to the pizza place. I walked into the restaurant, and at first, I didn't notice much. Then the cues started to tell me that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

-The menu signs were different.
-The tables had vinyl tablecloths on them (which they normally don't)
-There were weird signs advertising catering (by some guy)
-They had a sign that let people know that they sold hotdogs

Don't get me wrong. I noticed that stuff was different, but I didn't notice that everything was completely different.

So then the server dude hands me a pizza box - It was white, with no branding. It said, "Fresh Oven Pizza" or something in red lettering on the box. Huh. Odd, they usually have the boxes with the familar logo.

It wasn't until I was outside, with the pizza box in the car ready to drive away, did I turn around and notice that all the old signage was gone. Completely gone. there was a slightly more sketchy sign that had a "open during construction" sign.

So where did I just get this pizza from?

Is it just some random dude making pizzas and selling them on the side? It was just some guy in a blue shirt and shorts.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous. Nervous enough to peer inside the box before I drove away - I wasn't going to take a janky pizza home. But it looked ok.

It turns out, the pizza was pretty good. Who knew? I'll have to drive by sometime to see what the place turns into.

-Kirk

Valet guy.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening.

Today was a very light day at work - A little bit after 11 o'clolck, we headed out to the buildling across the street for the car wash (that benefitted charity). I got caught up with some work stuff so I got there pretty late.

Apparently, I didn't miss much, as all of the volunteers were just milling around.

They had already washed their own cars.

As you probably know, I'm very picky about how my car is washed. Very picky.

But I thought it would be a good cause, so I ponied up the $10 for a handwash. Funny thing was that I only had 9/10 of the cost of admission, sop one of my coworkers hooked me up with a buck.

Everyone finished with my car (of course everyone had to comment on my seat covers) and were still just milling around. I think because of the weather or something, nobody wanted to come and get their car washed. (shrug).

So I started working the network and called a few of my buddies at my building. I just offered to get their cars washed for 10 bucks. And they didn't have to do a thing.

So I drove my car back to the other building, and Brian had lined up my first customer (it was a buddy of his). I grab the keys and drive across the street to the other building. I'd pull up and people would ask where I got the car from.

Well, the keys were in the ignition...

I even managed to get Brian's Boss's Boss's car. So I got to drive my first Cadillac today (it was a CTS). I would say it had pretty good pickup ;)

I also got to drive a Jeep Liberty and a Grand Am - Also fun. So I got to live out my secret fantasy as a parking valet. I think I could get used to it.

I also got to drive a pontoon / party barge today. Kind of interesting to drive by a lever, not by pedal. We had our department summer outing today so we were at a coworker's lakefront poperty. So jealous.

There was boating and some people went wakeboarding - I elected not to wakeboard because I didn't bring a bathing suit, and I didn't feel like showing off how unathletic I am.

I could just sit on the dock all day long and not be bored. There's something about sitting by the water and just wathing the ripples in the water.

it's like you're moving...

I really dig the lakefront property lifestyle. It's defintely something I could get used to.

Someday.

-Kirk

Database ass kicking.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. Just a few quick notes before heading off to bed.

Apparently I'm not getting enogh sleep because I was passed out on the couch for about an hour today. Don't know what was up with that.

On Monday, my DB group met up to work on our final projects. It took us amost 4 hours to write one script (that only half worked). I was very bummed. At the end, we had to cry "uncle" and ask one of our cohorts in the class. He hooked us up, but I still didn't fully understand what the fix was.

So today, I took some time out to try working with the scrip and rewrote a few sections. The scrip created the tables, but the real test will be when we actually load the data into the tables.

We shall see.

As requested, Geneman hooked me up with the lowdown on the wedding - I talked to him while he was waiting at the airport and we had a debrief this evening. Sounds like everything went very smoothly and well. He took over 150 pictures (and then some) so I got a good idea.

I'm glad I stuck with my decision of not to go.

Not that it would have been terrible, but it probably was better for my mental health ;)

Thursday is the office summer event - I'm hoping for no rain. We're doing a car wash to raise money, and then we're going to a coworker's house after that.

-Kirk

September.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this weekend. It's 5:00. I think I'm going to check out from schoolville for today. It hasn't been a super productive day, but I think I'm done.

I have the windows open, and someone drove by blasting some Earth, Wind & Fire. Love that song:

(Come on now, you know the chorus)

Ba de ya - say do you remember
Ba de ya - dancing in September
Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

It's funny how hearing other people's music makes you happy.

Otherwise, if it's a shite song, then other people's music is just "too damn loud." Ever notice that?

Heh. Punk kids :)

Yesterday I met up with Steve and E for a short coffee / tea jaunt around the 'hood. We took a sidetrip to the ultra-posh Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealerships in town. Apparently, they're called "Motor Cars" when you hit the upper level of posh. Who knew?

Saw two Phantoms, a continental GT, and there were 2 other "traditional" Bentleys that I couldn't tell what they were.

Just in case you were wondering, the monthly payment (not sure if it's lease or buy - at this point, who really cares, right?) for one of the Bentley's was a little bit over $3,000.00 a month.

No problem, right? Where do I sign?

-Kirk

If I want to floss, I've got my own.

Hi all,

Hope you're having a good weekend. Just taking a break after doing the online quiz thing.

As much as snail mail gets made fun of, it will always have it's place in the circle of life. Until we have transporters or whatever (like sci-fispaceship style), we'll always have a need to have people deliver stuff for us.

Getting stuff in the mail (other than bills and advertisements) is kind of exciting. What's in the brown paper wrapped bag? ;) Oh wait. We probably know what's in there.

But seriously, you know, when you get mystery bubble mailers, or boxes of stuff that people send. Hell, even stuff that you buy off the web is exciting when it finally comes (and you already know what is in the boxes).

Best of all, it's those things that come in the mail that you don't expect - those are the best packages.

So I was on the web who knows how long ago and signed up for a free sample flosser thing. I don't remember when I signed up for it, but I actually got it today. I had totally forgotten about registering for it.

My teeth will be clean tonight.

-Kirk

Tempted by the fruit of another.

Hi everyone,

Hope you're doing well this evening. It's kind of a cold one out there today!

I was pretty close to bringing out the sweatpants when I got home from work. I was quite cold. It's like we should have the heat on!

And it's the middle of August...

Again, I'm not complaining. It beats hot and sticky, lemmetellya. It makes for good sleepytime weather.

So today I get an e-mail from a family friend, offering a possiblity for an employee discount on a certain domestic brand...

Tempting, isn't it?

But alas, there's really nothing that I'd want from them.

Well, ok, maybe one. Or two.

I will hold out on a major car purchase at least until school is done. I don't need any more diversions keeping me from my schoolwork :) Watching dust accumulate on the computer screen is more exciting that discussion questions...

-Kirk

... and we'll call it a day.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. It was so cold outside! I was glad I didn't wear shorts to class today. I had jeans and a t-shirt on, and I was cold. It's the middle of August! :)

I need to be at work by 8 tomorrow, so I have to keep this short...

So let's see, what is on the mind tonight.

My legs are all bruised - I uhh, tripped over a bench. Brian and I went out for lunch today at the local mall. After lunch, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking (perhaps a little distracted) and I walked into a bench that they have in the middle of the hallway for tired shoppers. So my legs hurt like a beotch. I'm all bruised up in two places on the my right leg.

Today I was driving home from work and it was raining. But it wasn't your ordinary gloomy day rain. I must have been driving through rain clouds because I hit patches of rain here and there, alternating from dark and gloomy to sunny. I happened to drive in between rain clouds (or something) and I saw the wierdest thing - It was totally sunny and raining at the same time. It was as if somone had turned on their sprinklers and were watering the street. Totally sunny, but raining. Just a weird combo, I guess.

So I decided that sunny rain is my favorite type of rain (second to being inside while it's raining). I actually like being in the office when it's raining hard. We sit on the 4th floor, and you can hear the rain hitting the top of the building. Pretty cool.

Oh well, that's it for now...

-Kirk

Love.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. The weatherman said that it was supposed to rain. But so far, not a drop. There was even talk of 1 inch sized hail. Imagine that.

Although, I've been told that one inch sized hail has happened before around here, but I've never really seen it. I mean seriously - one inch? I've also heard golf ball sized too.

Yeah yeah, I'm sure it melts (or whatever hail does) by the time it gets down to the ground)...

I just picture some crazy shite, like as if someone just dumped a big 'ol bag of pingpong balls from the sky. How wacky would that be? And if you were lucky enough to have a pool in the backyard, you'd have one of those things like they have at those activity restaurants geared towards kids. You know what I'm talkin about, where there's a room that's filled up probably 2 or 3 feet full of those colored balls.

Quite the imagination.

So, instead of doing the good school citizen thing, I blew off ths evening by poking around on the web and taking some Tickle tests (you might remember them as emode back in tha day)

I know, I know, it's kind of juvenile...

But anyway, I took my first inkblot test ever. As a sidenote, if da link doesn't work, go to the website (Tickle) and search for inkblot.

Anyway, some of the questions made me laugh, because... Well, I don't want to taint your experience if you're going to take it.

If you know me well enough, you'll know what I was giggling about :)

Be prepared though, it's like 56 questions. Be aware that the site is commercial-y and it's a tad popup laden. (But I think the end result is worth it, personally - Those with less patience may tend to disagree)

So here's my result (copied from the Tickle website:

(begin cut and pasty)

Kirk, your subconscious mind is driven most by Love

Everyone has a desire to love. But your desire is rooted very deeply in your unconscious and affects many of the decisions you make in life — whether you are aware of it or not.
You have an energy about you that inspires people to experience their true feelings of love and act kindly towards others. In this way, you and your drive for loving relationships start a chain reaction of positive experiences.

The reason you are driven by love, may be because your unconscious is trying to avoid the opposite of love — hate. You, more than others, may be afraid of experiencing severe discord with others. That may, in turn, heavily influence your choices about relationships and the way you communicate your ideas, wants, and desires to others.

With such a strong orientation towards loving others, your relationships hold a very special place in your life. Your capacity to love may be greater than those around you, and therefore you may have more to give in relationships than your romantic partner does. Remember that this is a gift you have and one most others don't possess.

Though your unconscious mind is driven most strongly by Love, there is much more to who you are at your core.

(end cut and pasty)

Huh. Innnteresting. I'm obviously a lover, not a hater.

Don't hate.

Anyway, what else.

Today I got my soft shell crab fix. Mmm tasty. Unfortunately, the sandwich bread just got in the way of the taste, but it was good nonetheless. I hadn't been to that restaurant since who knows how long. I've been to the place before - It was the favorite birthday place of the X. Her whole family used to go there for her birthday.

Speaking of the X, she's been on the mind as of late. She's getting married next weekend.

And no, I'm not going. It would just be a mix of toughness, happiness, uncomfortability (yes, that's a word in my book), and a little sadness thrown in for good measure. I'm sure there's other feelings too, that I just can't name right now. Don't get me wrong - I'm truly happy for her, honest (seriously). I guess I look at where I am relationship wise, and I feel like I'm behind the game. I know I shouldn't compare, but I think it's only natural.

I'm having flashbacks of an Ally McBeal episode :)

My feelings are also a result of my dislike for weddings as a single person - It's another one of those torture-fests for people that aren't in relationships :)

But anyway, I will be sending Geneman as my proxy. I'm expecting a comprehensive report after the event is done :)

-Kirk

Please do not discard.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this weekend. It's a perfect day, isn't it?

Again, it feels like I've not written in a while. I've been feeling out of touch as of late.

Let's see, what's been going on...

Thursday was Robin's funeral. It was such a beautiful ceremony. So many people were there - We filled 3 rooms.

It was hard to go back to work after that - It's just so odd.

On Friday when I went to the office across the street, every time I walked by her cube, I expected her to be there. Everything was there, just as she had left it. Like she was going to come back to work.

(sigh)

I couldn't get out of work fast enough on Friday. For the first time, I felt like I needed to leave because I wasn't doing anything really productive.

Got home from work early, and I wanted to do something fun (other than school. Anything but that. Unfortunately, we had a plumbing "issue" and that had to be taken care of.

Leaks that you don't know about suck.

I did end up doing something fun though - I met up with Steve and E at the shopping mecca - I've not been there in a month or so. It was like returning home ;)

Saturday was all schoolwork all the time - Until dinner, when I took the rest of the evening off. This mild summer weather kicks ass. My mom and I walked around the outdoor mall and did some light shopping. It was nice to take it easy and not think about evil school.

(getting the picture?)

Today was another uneventful day - I slept in until noon. Just because. It was way nice. Every day should be a sleep till noon day. I think everyone would be happier then.

I went through the mail that's been stacking up on the kitchen island and got a laugh - There was a piece of junk mail that I received that asked me not to throw it away (it said "please do not discard"). Suuure, of course I listened.

-Kirk

Big wheel keep on turnin'

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening. Just a few notes before going to bed.

It's been quite the week.

I've gone through quite the roller coaster of emotions. I've felt everything from sadness to anger (at the Man). I think Mark caught me at the end of the "angry at the Man" phase...

No matter what happens, the machinery of the man continues to churn.

But that will be a discussion for another time. I'll wait until the dust settles a little bit more.

Tomorrow is Robin's funeral. Theoretically we're supposed to get closure or something (according to management). There's just so many things that we'll never know. In some ways, maybe it's better that way. But so many questions all around. Just leaves everyone just scratching heads wondering what happened.

Visitation was on Tuesday and Wednesday. I had class tonite, so I went out to the funeral home on Tuesday. I didn't feel comfortable going alone (and I think some of my coworkers felt the same way) so I met up with a few of them at the funeral home.

The funeral home was pretty nice. I rarely go to that side of town, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to find it. Odd thing was that I was looking on the side of the road for it and just knew that I had found the right place. I didn't have to look for the sign outside.

It's been a long time since I've been to a funeral home, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. The room was nice (although now that I think of it I can't really tell you want was in it, just certain things that I noticed and will remember).

Robin looked very peaceful.

There were many things on display - pictures, her degrees, certificates, and stuff from her childhood.

It's still so hard to believe.

-Kirk

Goodbye Robin. We'll miss you.

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well this evening.

The start of the morning was not a good one - I went in to work as usual, and everything was fine until Brian came and talked to me.

One of our coworkers had passed away on Friday night.

Nothing could have prepared me for that - I was in total shock and disbelief. The rest of the day I just felt numb. I wasn't sure how to feel. I wasn't really sure how to cope. I felt like my head was spinning. There were pamphlets handed out, offers of counseling, all of the normal corporate stuff. But I didn't feel like going to any of them. I wasn't sure what to say, nor what to do.

It's that whole "comfortable with my own mortality, but not anyone else's" complex that I have.

Maybe it's one of those things that you come to terms with as you get older. But that's the thing. She wasn't old. She was my age. Born in the same year even. I know everyone grieves in a different way. I guess I just haven't found mine yet.

She worked in the office across the street. Before lunch, everyone from our side went over and saw everyone. I felt awkward - Brian did most (all) of the talking.

And I had nothing to say. Nothing at all.

I guess I'm just not good at that kind of stuff.

I think many people were in disbelief. She always smiled when I talked to her, and she was always so pleasant. No one ever thought...

It's hard to imagine what she was going through, and even harder to think about what it came to. So many questions. But very little answers (for us, at least).

I saw her death notice in the paper today.

We'll miss you Robin. More than you'll ever know.

-Kirk

The sound of silence (and other stuff)

Hi all,

Hope you're doing well today. I've forgotten the last time I've written - it seems like it's been a while.

It's been quite the busy few days for me.

On Wednesday, I went on over to the other building to my second office. It wasn't as cool as I expected, and the whole thing reminded me how much I don't like environmental change until I cause it. Does that make sense?

Brian has been pushing me to establish a presence over across the street - I've been reluctant, just because I figured I would go over on my own time

(which probably would have been never)

Come on, I'm totally a creature of habit. I enjoy familiar things. Stable surroundings make me feel at ease.

So on Wednesday, I was supposed to go over to the other building after our team meeting. Of course I was stalling, but Brian was almost pushing me out the door to get me going (I think he knows me pretty well too). So I went over and hung out in a cube that was totally stacked with rand pieces of equipment. Apparently, since the cube had been inhabited, it had been converted into a mini computer lab. I managed to find a small space to work, and that was that.

I liked it over there, but I still felt like I was in everyone's way.

Thursday I was back at the ol home office :)

Friday, Brian was going over to the other building, so I went as well. This time, I went and claimed a different cube - I cleared off everything on the table and set up my workstation. Now that I have my own space over there, I was thinking about being there the last half of the week. We'll see. It all depends on where my meetings are going to be, I guess.

Thursday night I was at the office pretty late - I had to review some stuff before Friday - Around 6:00, the building HVAC got shut off. And all of a sudden, it got eerily quiet. Like my ears had popped or something. It took me a second to realize what had happened. Just the lack of white noise had totally thrown me off.

Needless to say, I didn't stay long after that.

Let's see, what else is on the mind today...

Friday I went with Drew to see Carrot Top. We had such a good time last year that we thought this year would be no different.

And that's what exactly what it was, for the most part. I would have to say that only 25% of his material for this show was actually new. He had some of the same props, told some of the same jokes, etc. Some updated stuff here and there, but not enough - So it was a little disappointing. It was like watching a funny movie for the second time. It's funny, but never as good as the first time...

Anyway, Drew and I went to the Market for dinner. I love their chicken - So good.

But it's hard to eat chicken without using your hands. Since we were out in public, I thought I'd use good table manners and try to eat with the provided silverware.

No such luck.

So I am adding chicken on the bone to the list of things that I will not eat when on a date. You just can't do it and come across as suave. Gotta use the fingers.

How do rich people eat chicken that still has bones? Do they just have Jeeves cut it up?

I guess that's what chicken fingers are for.

You see, I have a list of foods that I hesitate to eat in front of people that I don't know well (or want to impress).

#1 for me is spaghetti. I will only order certain types of pasta. I know, I know, the type of pasta used in a dish depends on the sauce, right? Whatever. I'm just not that skilled with the twisting of the noodles around the fork with the spoon. I either get very little or too much on the fork.

My main choice would be a safe rigatoni (the ridged tubes) where each piece fits handily on the tines of a fork. Bowtie and spiral pasta work well too.

My fav pasta type (since we are talking about it and I'm kind of hungry) is angel hair - preferably in a light cream sauce. :)

So now, chicken on the bone is added to the list as well. The menu of acceptable items slowly gets smaller...

So what is safe to eat?

-Kirk