A Book Review

Hey all I was recently looking at a book club and it allowed you to put in your two cents on a book and I decided to submit my thoughts on one of the books for sale. Here is what I posted:

JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, Dec 17,2006
Reviewer: MICHAEL W.
Talk about Sucktastic!

I very rarely abandon a book completely but this book was so annoyingly uninteresting that I had to. In fact I sold the book back to a used book store just to get it out of my sight! Everytime I think about that book I get irritated. It is so slow and uninteresting it was unbelievable. I would like to use this book to smack the author a couple of times in the head! I read the reviews here and maybe I should have read past the 200 pages but any book that takes longer then 200 pages to get going is dumb. And the writing style seemed witty at first but as it droned on I felt like I was being forced to read some historical textbook on the various stages of a rock becoming sand. Holy hell this book sucks! It makes me feel like retching to think that someone may read this book and waste precious moments of their life. Can I tell you anymore about how bad this book is? I mean really really bad. I wouldn't even use this book as a paperweight. My nephew who is 2 tells better stories. An illiterate chipmunk could produce a more enthralling novel!

Ode to the Apartment Laundry

Ode to the Apartment Laundry

Dearest Laundry Abandoner,
I was dismayed to find a load of stray clothes in the dryer.
It had sat there for at least 30 minutes as I washed my clothes
And with wet garments in hand I found the dryer full.
I was dismayed, upset even
However I had let my laundry sit for 30 minutes in the past as well
I decided to see this as a minor setback, a thing to be overcome.
I made due with one dryer
Absolutely sure that the laundry would be claimed
I set my timer for 30 minutes, half a dryer cycle
Thinking an hour is enough time to remember your wares...
When the half hour passed
I walked down in the dreary rain to find your clothes still retaining the dryer
My mind flashed devilish ideas like depositing your clothes on top of the dryer
But I didn't want to disturb them,
After all it is an easy mistake to make
Maybe amidst getting kids to bed you had temporarily forgotten
I was confident given a half hour longer you would correct this egregious error.
I shouldn't have been so generous.
I loaded my one dryer with my second load of clothes
Knowing that another load was still waiting
And a dryer was sitting filled but not used,
I retired to the Batcave.
An hour went by and I descended from my hovel
Into the dreary rain and down to our humble laundering facility,
Your things still clogged one of the dryers,
Like the edge of spittle on an old man's mouth.
It enraged me
I barely stopped myself from dashing your purloined cloth to the ground
And proceeding to stomp my muddy wet shoes into the fabric.
Instead I loaded my third load into the one remaining dryer
I went back to my perch and in an hours time was called back down to tend my laundry.
Only to find your vile threads festering in the dryer
Causing it to putresce and disintegrate before my eyes.
I finished hanging my clothes and I ascended back to my lair,
Still miffed by your evil inconsiderate ways.
I found myself sitting in front of a seldom used sticky note pad
I began to write all my wishes for your imminent demise upon it
When it occurred to me what I could do to strike a blow against this injustice
So I carefully crafted a note and snuck it back down.
I brazenly stuck the note to the front of the dryer
And it read:

Dear Inconceivably Inconsiderate Neighbor,
I am sorry to inform you of this but the dryer caught on fire while your clothes sat for hours. I was desperate to put the fire out and save the clothing you hold dear enough to have forgotten. So I did the only thing I could do I unzipped my pants and urinated on them. I am sure you will be very glad to know of the courageous and unflinching act I took on your behalf. I need not be thanked personally as I know your many prayers of thanks will include your anonymous benefactor. Anytime you feel like occupying a dryer for hours on end in the future just let me know and I will keep a very close watch on them. Always here for you.
Yours truly,
Urine Man

Crazed Comics #2

Here is the second strip dedicated to "News" Shows Suck & the Weather Guy = Devil

Crazed Comic Strip Pt 1

This comic was inspired by my blog entry "News" Shows Suck & the Weather Guy = Devil. I hope you like it. I am already working on the second comic.

The Simpsons Movie Trailer

Hey all,
I was talking to my dad when he mentioned that this trailer upset people a lot. Apparently it's not ok to harm animated bunnies. I found this trailer to be a lot better once I discovered that some people had objected to it. Yeah I know I like things just because other people don't. Just for making that observation expect a Britney Spears CD in your stocking this year.

"News" Shows Suck & the Weather Guy = Devil

Well we have had an eventful couple of days here in Portland. If you watched the news up here you would know that the second ice age was narrowly averted Monday and Tuesday. It was going to SNOW in Portland! Batten down the hatches! All hands on deck! And any other silly cliche you can think of when disaster is stalking your every move. I was really afraid that when I awoke I would find everything had been frozen and the technology had become obsolete. The cars frozen in their tracks and the grocery store doors sealed shut from the snow. I had expected a world full of woolly mamoths, saber tooth tigers and sloths. I had expected icy roads, snow that I would have to shovel and salt in my pockets. I had spent the better part of the night making a spear to get ready for the inevitable mammoth hunt. I no longer have any furniture left because I broke it apart to make spears, skis and snowshoes. If any one wants a sled I have the most awesome sled made out of my oven! The apartment manager did not seem happy about the fire I started in her rose bushes. She also said I was being indecent when I insisted on doing my half naked dance to the moon god. She doesn't understand that my half naked moon god dance was the only thing that saved us from the weather guys predictions. I mean I bought the world another few years and what do I get in return? An eviction notice! (By the way does anyone have a couch I can crash on?) I still regret the spears I made and the stove... yeah I have no clue how I was planning on cooking this winter. I wrote to the weather guy to ask if he could give me credit on the evening news but he requested that I remove him from my mailing list. I thought that was a little on the rude side. I had only emailed him a few thousand times this month about my indispensible help preventing Portland's flooding. It had been earlier in the year when we had experienced crazy nonstop rainfall in Portland. I had leaned against a building and it didn't get washed away. The weather guy said I was making fun of him and that I should stop emailing him. I said that he needed to recognize that because I prevented the building from washing away that I had in effect created the anchor that Portland needed during the time of the "almost" flood and without me we might have all ended up in Albuquerque. No one wants to end up in Albuquerque! Not even people in Albuquerque! I had bought a boat so I could rescue stranded motorists and people sitting on their roofs but did I get any recognition? NO! No I did not. In fact all I got was my boat reposessed! Guess who is not getting saved next year! The repo man, I won't even consider it! Another person I am not saving, the weather guy! Oh and don't forget the boat salesman! Jerks! I get no respect!

Happy Thanksgiving and the latest site news

Well some of you may have noticed the new look of the main page - http://www.crazedlunatikdesigns.com I am betting that most of you did not..... If you are like me you bookmarka page and it is the same page all the time. So try out the link. I am in the midst of a redesign of the site. I was tired of a few things and it seemed very necessary to recraft the site. It is by no means done but I am trying not to hang an "Under Costruction" label on the site and shut it down until 2020 until I manage to keep myself on task long enough to work all the details out. In the meantime I am still open for business but I will be adding things and changing order around almost every night. As always, I welcome any feedback. Poke around a little and let me know what you find, whether it is good, bad or indifferent.

In related news, I am completely thrilled with my overwhelming feedback on my contest. It is going to be really tough to pick the winners. Those out there that have contributed know who you are! I am a little disappointed you did not post on the blog entry like I asked but I am willing to forgive that. To all others that wish to get the largest prize I have come up with so far remember that the deadline for submissions is November 30th!!! It is a little more then a week away! Remember to craft your entry after gorging yourself on turkey or for those that skip meat..... tofurkey. I hear nothing beats writing on a full stomach, add a lot of alcohol and by all that is holy you will probably be the winner. Unless everyone takes my advice then you might need to hire Stewey, the rabbit to eliminate the competition. Go here to remind yourself of the contest rules: The Prove It Contest!

Lest I forget have a good holiday. Enjoy a day of family and friends and don't say no to dessert...... Your tummy can find room for dessert.

Kiwi!

Hey this Video is pretty cool! Read more about it here: http://www.isfat.com/happyjunk/kiwi.php

The Prove It Contest

I am looking for my number one fan. All of you claim to read this blog when I ask you and I get anoccasional email from an occasional person. Unfortunately I blog for attention and for a way to get my stupid stories out there. This contest is geared to reward people that read the blog. All I want is your opinion of a past entry. It can be this blog or the older blog "The Ramble Rouser". The better the review the better the prize. This time there can only be one winner so do your best. Try to make me laugh, get me to curse your very existence, get me to cry or get me to throw in the blogging towel. Either way do your best critique of one of my blogs and you might be the individual of the hour. Pick your favorite or your least favorite. All Submissions must be submitted no later then November 30th. All submissions must also be posted on this blog entry and have the blog title too reference the blog too which you refer. All blog entries made for the soul purpose of announcing contests or new stores are not really included unless you concoct one heck of a critique. The blogs containing other people's videos are out because they aren't really mine I just shared things I thought were clever. All entries must have someway for me to know who you are like a name and an email address. If you are afraid of spam then you haven't lived on the net long.... but you can always set up an online net email and use that for this contest but remember to check it after you submit.

Reasons for all submissions to be here. I won't have to repost the entry the contests are also thought up for pure entertainment value to be used by this blog. Please do your part and you could win a nifty Holiday prize pack. Which may include a shirt, a mug, a notebook, a signed picture of me or a can of chili. It may also include dirty laundry but not very likely. So do your best work and you could be a winner. At this website you can win more then once a year so all those that entered in the past are more then welcome to win again.

Once again the prize depends on how good your winning response is. I am not buying the prize until I pick a winner. So far all I know is no matter what the prize pack i it will include a sticker. I bought several for the last contest and I have extra. Thanks for the participation..... yeah.

MY First Moving Picture Piece

SO you are sitting there wondering what should I do tonight. Mike hasn't updated in a few days and I have nothing to laugh about. Well have no fear my Flash debut has been made head on over to http://crazedlunatikdesigns.tripod.com/index.html for the first look at a breathtaking epic. Forget Spielberg, Lucas and that Lord of the Rings guy Ihave made my first foray into a story told in pictures and that story is


THE SKIRMISH OF THE CELESTIAL ORBS!!!

GO there now and see it! It's an order!

One Chick beats a Gaggle of Girls

Hello all in legoland! How are you faring? I am doing pretty well except the textbook I need was snatched up before I could get to Barnes and Noble. The galling thing is that it's sitting on the hold shelf. If I had remembered the hold option that bloody book would be mine! It seems like cheating to hold it though, I would have found it easier to swallow if the person had come in and bought the dang book before I got there. Somehow that seems more civilized to me. So tomorrow I plan to call local bookstores and find a copy that I can put a "hold" on. In my state of total dejection I decided to head over to Chili's to have some food. I had a craving for their boneless buffalo wings and was about to make a buffalo wing combo with Chili's 3 appetizers for 9.99 thing. I can see it now boneless buffalo wings, bonelss shanghai wings and regular buffalo wings I was going to try them all and then probably vomit on my shoes after I left. Unfortunately that promo ended so I had the fajitas.... or did I?



According to this reciept I had 1 chick for $12.99! I bet you didn't know Chili's was in the "Escort" services! Booyah! Totally busted those dirty birdies! (Click the reciept to make it bigger.)

Anyway in other Chili's related news. As I was having my fajitas/chick I had a gaggle of young teeny bopper girls sit behind me. Their chosen topic of discussion.... Periods. Yeah, I mean menstruation. I am not talking about a way to show the sentence is at an end. So I ate my fajitas/chick and tried to focus all my energy into the TV that was showing ESPN. I pretended that I really was interested in what Dallas thinks about T.O. (Terrell Owens) dropping 6 passes this season. I read those closed caption notes like they were going to save me from instant death. Ok to be fair I know this event must be major and something that can be quite shocking and in certain situations downright embarrassing. I also know that it is part of being female. I also want to point out that the mom there was very cool and told stories right along with the girls which is how I think a conversation about natural and normal events should feel and be like. That p.c. stuff being said do you have to discuss it loudly at a public restaurant. I mean "HELLO! I'm eating here!"

Other then that it was a good night.

Give me NCIS or give me death!

It seemed like such a good idea this morning. I could see myself eating a great pasta dinner while I watched NCIS and drank half a bottle of wine. It seemed almost like a Hallmark moment really. My dinner was to be shared with people I cared a lot about: Ducky, Abby, McGee, Gibbs, and Ziva. Especially Abby and Ziva. I even planned ahead. You see it was my first week on the job officially and Tuesday was my day off on the new schedule. I woke up and caught up with Bob Barker and his beauties. I even promised to have my pets spayed or neutered. I checked my homework to see if the prof had graded the portfolio I had turned in. I watched the vhs tape I had made the night before when I had focused on my homework and not the TV. Then I ran out of the house and headed to Barnes and Noble so that when night came I wouldn't feel antsy. You see I usually feel antsy on my days off because I forget getting out is the key for me to stay sane. I try to do things new but because I am still struggling with the concept of a budget my funding was totally non-existant and that left me to focus on free and nearby excursions. So B&N it was. The rain had finally stopped after a week of nonstop insanity and it seemed like a now or never situation. I mention the rain only because it was abnormal rain. It has been raining hard since last week and normally when it rains here it kind of just drizzles. It was raining so hard that it flooded in places. If you heard the news up here you would think that we were experiencing Katrina level floodwaters.... the news get a little overzealous at times. And by "at times" I mean all the time. Anyway I spent a few hours reading books and not buying them at B&N and then I headed home. I started cooking dinner. I bought some Italian sausage to add some interest to my dish and I like those sausages to simmer in wine for a few hours which explains why I only polished off half a bottle since the other half was in use. It was time for NCIS and I had dished up a plate of goodness. I went to flip on the tube and I was met with some horribly dressed people talking about voting..... VOTING!!! What is the thing about watching the election numbers? I have been told by people that watching golf is boring but I bet half of those people that find golf boring watched the voting tallies. Here is the thing, the vote will be the same tomorrow and why waste time until the vote is completely tallied? I mean seriously? Besides aren't the elections news and don't they have a set time for news? You know during the news shows. I mean isn't prime time the time when TV puts on shows for entertainment value alone? You know lots of murder, scantily clad women but no bad words? It's not like people didn't know there was an election... with all the backstabbing and rampant slandering ads all over the place who could not know? So since it was preplanned it isn't like this was breaking news or anything. You know what else? Every decision the voters made will be in the news tomorrow. So don't interrupt NCIS!!!! Especially when you hyped the show all day! Yeah that's right, all day long I saw ads about the new episode of NCIS. I was looking forward to it and instead of a surly Gibbs I found some jerks talking about the election. Where the heck is Abby? Where is Ziva? And more importantly where is the justice in this world? I mean what kind of priorities are we raising our kids with when you cancel TV shows for political drivel? Seriously? Do you think that any person that has enough money to successfully run for an office can actually relate to any of you on any real level? If so send that person to my house I want to meet them. Until then put NCIS back on!

Gone Daddy Gone

You might recognize the song... you might not. Either way Gnarls Barkley does a great video and version of the song.


And yes I am being lazy and posting a video instead of writing..... you will get over it. I am working on a flash movie I am slightly distracted.

Thriller

I know that Halloween was yesterday but I just found this video today. It is an Indian version of Thriller. It is very amusing I just had to share!

A Halloween Poem

"The Knock"

It was Halloween night and I was bored
There was nothing to do, no movies of gore

I sat there reclined in my trusty blue chair
As my eyes took on a vacant glare

Flipping the channels, with my old gnarled remote
Huddled down in my old house coat

No trickers and no treaters came by my door
Not even with half of all the candy at the damn store!

When out on the porch came a big racket
As if someone wanted in, knocked hard, enough to crack it

I rushed to the door to peep through the hole
I saw a man who stood there with a name badge: Hi my name is Joel

I threw open my door and shook his hand
“Damn glad to meet you my name is Stan!”

He seemed quite shocked, a might taken back
With a puzzled expression he asked “Do you know Jack?”

“I have never met him! But I am sure he is great!
Are you hungry? Or have you just ate?”

I offered him some candy, all he could take
He said “Sorry, I don’t know you. But everything’s jake!

I am ok, I just have to go
I got all mixed up and knocked on the wrong doe!”

So I slammed the door, shut hard in his face
Figured next time that door rang I would come out with mace!

-Mike Williams 10/31/06

I like school. School is cool.

I have been doing a lot of writing for my online course and that is why I have been a bit MIA lately. It is hard to write a lot when you are already using that same source of inspiration earlier in the day. I have found all the assignments easy to do but some have been hard to get started on. The main focus of the course is techniques to help you succeed in an online learning environment and some things they have you do is take notes on the reading and post them, then we critique other peoples stuff. The last part is the hardest to do I have no idea how to critique study notes people make for their personal study habits. So I tend to find one thing I really like. For example I might say: "The bullet points help make these notes easy to follow and understand." Hmmm... yeah. So that is what I mean by using the same creative pool to produce the homework assignments and interaction as well as these blog entries. I take something small and try to blow it up into something worthy of putting hands to keyboard over... How am I doing so far? Of course the blog gets cheated because it is secondary to the education I am going deeper into debt for. I spend a good portion of my free time working on my assignments and responses to the school work even though I could probably put half the effort into it and still come up with a decent result. However I am trying to live by my new ways of thinking, outlined in New Thinking and the 1st October contest and I figure the best way to do that is by embracing each task and trying to make a worthwhile and honest effort of the end result. The bonus is that I have been able to use some of my blog entries in the career portfolio that is the central theme of this course. I have had some very favorable responses to what I have been bringing to the table. I have been working very hard at providing everyone with positive feedback even when it is harder to find. All of the people have something to bring to the table but some do not have the communication skills to do so very easily. That is what has been my biggest hang up and my focus has been on looking through the poor grammar, sentence structure and bad spelling and find their message and the figure out what speaks to me and talk about that. It is a good exercise to improve my people skills. That is how I am choosing to view it.

Other then that we have finally moved out of the evil windowless training room at work. We are at our desks and spending the days taking practice calls. I finally feel like we are learning how to do our jobs. The classroom environment seemed to be lacking the hands on aspect and I think that watching us on the practice calls was a wake up call to our supervisor. We have spent time on how to navigate the systems while everyone follows along in their own similar fake policy. November 6th is the day we officially start taking live calls so I think this week will be pretty intense. The focus will be on getting us ready to take real calls and I don't think they fell that we are ready. It is funny to see everyone stress out. I don't feel it. I am not worried about the calls I will focus on providing good and pleasant service and figure out how to get the speed down later. In other work news I worked a day at the tux shop. I am going to let them know to keep me in mind in the future. It would be nice to pick up some hours when that business picks up. I think I will be able to really help out during prom season, which is apparently an extremely busy time of year.

Don't forget about the contest going on at the New Thinking and the 1st October contest entry! Go there now!

More Florida Stew Pictures

I was talking to Stew after I ratted him out last night.... which he seems very upset about. He was telling me that he did a lot while he was in Florida and he insisted I include a few more pictures. The first one he wanted me to share was of the upcoming movie Miami Vice II: Just Stew. He says it will be a story of one rabbit on the hard road to redemption and the cops that give him carrots. Here is the promotional picture:

The next item is his involvement in the Miami-FIU brawl during their recent football game. He wanted me to share the various pictures. I do not believe he was going to school or playing football so what he was doing fighting is still unclear. My guess is he likes violence since he is a crazy rabbit and all.

He did want to make sure you all new it wasn't all about movies, brawling and putting a hit out on some bunnies. He also made time for the ladies!

The Useless Fish and The Traveling Rabbit

I ask my fish George to do one thing for me! Just one thing! Does he do it? Well do you see any entries in here? Neither do I! I said "Hey George, can you fill in at the blog while I get settled in the new job, the new school and while I have visitors?" George says "Not a problem man." So here I am, nearly 2 weeks later and I have no entries in here at all! I guess that is what you get for asking a fish to do anything! I would have asked Stew (the rabbit) but he was unavailable. Actually this is a funny story. You see a few weeks ago I get a call from Stew and he says "Hey Mikey I am going to Florida to pay a visit to some stinkin' rabbits that owe me some carrots. Think you could drive me?" I tell him all the things I have going on and he says "Well you know I would make it worth your while!" I respond "I know you would but us humans can't pay rent with carrots." He says "Well can you at least keep the old people happy while I am gone? I would leave a note but I have terrible penmanship!" I say well "Can it wait? I know they will be going out of town for a while during the holidays and I know they would miss you if you go MIA." He says "C'mon Mikey who wants bad news during the holidays? I thought you had more heart! Besides it makes more sense to have ghoulish murders during October." Which of course was true so I conceeded the point and promised to do what I could to comfort the old people and he and I ended our conversation. A few days later I get a call from my pops. He says "I have some bad news. Fluffy is gone." I am like "Who?" He says "Fluffy" I say "Who is that? Did you get another horse?" He responds "No Stewey!" I say "Oh STEW the rabbit! Did you look under the house?" So anyway they go about their business looking for the rabbit and he is sending me pictures from Florida! Like these:

Meanwhile Dad and Maryjo are worried but I get a call that he is heading back, his business is finished. He says "You will like how I fool them into thinking that they just misplaced me. It will be great" So I eagerly await news of Stews reappearance Finally my dad and Pete show up for their visit. We were having dinner one night when my dad says "Did I tell you about fluffy?" I of course said "Who?" He replies "Did I tell you about Stewey?" "No" I say playing unaware. His story went "We were real worried about him and he never showed up and we never saw him milling about the house or anything. Then we were putting our artist in residence up in the study, did I tell you we are housing an artist? Anyway she was putting things away when she went to open the closet ans out popped fluff... er... Stewey! He had been in the closet the whole time." I laughed and asked if Stew had been ravishingly hungry when he was sprung knowing he probably hadn't been considering all the carrots he had brought back. Then I laughed at the double entendre about Stewey coming out of the closet. Sorry Stew you knew it was coming! Don't whack me, I do not have any carrots!

So anyway life has been busy. My dad and Pete hung out for a week. They had Dim Sum like 3 or 4 days in a row. I had Dim Sum once, yay! They explored a bit and we watched a lot of football including a horrible demoralizing loss by the Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Which of course was upstaged by a humiliating loss to a winless Raiders team this past weekend... GO CARDS! Anyway the visit was fun but I am glad to be getting back into a routine. I found out Friday that my work routine will be similar to the one I have now when I actually start on the phones. Except that I will have Sunday and Tuesday off instead of Saturday and Sunday but the hours won't change. Other then that life is going good.

As a side note: There are only 2 winners in the why you persevere at work contest. Which means there are still 8 more prizes left! Hurry and enter today!

Some more Stew in Florida pictures for your enjoyment:

New Thinking and the 1st October CONTEST!!!

Have you ever just felt like time is rushing right past you? You stop to figure out where to go next and the years sneak past. I have felt that way on and off for the past year, well maybe the past decade. It might be because I will be turning 30 next year. It might be because I have had 5 jobs since this year began. It really doesn’t make much difference why I feel this way the point is that life goes on no matter what you decide to do. I moved to a new state to get a new life. Instead I learned a lesson or two.

What I learned this last year could probably feel a book but I just want to focus on one lesson: Jobs. There is no such thing as the always perfect job. No one can be happy and fulfilled by their job all the time. Even if they are doing what they always there can be several detractors. Coworkers can make life hard, supervisors can make you crazy, the job can be frustrating and tasks of the job can bite the big one. You are probably reading this right now thinking “This is a lesson you just learned?” What you are missing is the fact that my job hunt has always been driven by looking for that elusive perfect job. I have talked to plenty of people that have plugged away at a job that is extremely far from their ideal career and I always thought this person must have something in them that I am missing, I must be broken. In some respects that is true, I was missing something. What I was missing was motivation: Motivation to get me to work, motivation to continually perform well at my position and motivation to put in the time to make it all work. I also realized that I had no real idea how to find that motivation. I had no idea how to create the motivation to work hard and faithfully, besides making sure my rent was paid each month. Strangely bills have never really been that big of a motivator for me, which is kind of funny considering the responsible parents I sprang from. That was the case until just recently. I have found myself thinking a little differently, just a small change in my thinking about work. I find myself participating in training exercises more and I also find myself actually wanting to know things about the job. I am not relying on my ability to pick things up because I actually want to do a genuinely good job.

The thing is that I am not real sure what caused this change. I have made so many changes recently in addition to surviving 2 and a half extremely hard years. There are a lot of things that contributed to my attitude change. The reasons I see as definite contributors towards my new thinking are: wanting 1 stable job amidst a horrible and spotty job history, needing stable income to reinvent myself (this time for real), the ability to actually afford to do something with my design and writing dreams, needing a job that can support my newly enrolled scholastic pursuit and (most shockingly) actually seeing other things I want to try within the company I work for. I have a strange desire to learn new things and that has always been my basis for looking longingly at a new job in a completely new field. I never paid much attention to what the company could offer me besides what I was doing. Sure I said I was interested in opportunities in my interview but I was never serious. It just sounded like something that I should be saying, a thing they wanted to hear me say. This time I really want to get into other departments and figure out what they are all about. I feel really comfortable with what the new job is asking from me and I know that I need to keep my head in there and I figure since I need to do that anyway I might as well really make a go at the other internal opportunities that are open to me. That is a different feeling for me. I am sure people have heard me talk about other opportunities at other jobs I have held but this feels different. I want them to want me. I am now fighting singing the song by Cheap Trick right now.

I don’t know what else to say to paint a better and clearer picture for you. I guess I just need you to trust me and offer some support for this change in my thinking.

That being said I want to announce a contest for a NINJA SHREDZ sticker.

OCTOBER CONTEST #1

The rules are simple but a little more involved then last time. I want to hear from you about what motivates you to make it to work. Whether it be family obligations, paying for school, a mortgage or some other random reason. I want you to write a small essay style response. If you send me something with a little bit of thought behind this question and you are in the first ten responses you will be a winner. It’s that easy. Yep, there are ten chances to win.

(It is contest number one because if I get the ten responses before the month is over I have contest #2 already ready)

Life, learning, living and poetry

It seems I have forgotten the blog. A new job and a new scholarly pursuit and the blog gets the back burner treatment. The new job is great, the people are nice and it seems like something I can do. I especially like that it is actually paying me a wee bit of money. I plan on working there for a while and trying out other departments. I know that it will be the usual call center environment where you have to strap in and hold on. The thing that works is that I am not selling people anything. I am just trying to help them out.

That brings me to the scholarly pursuit. I enrolled in the Art Institute for the Media Arts and Animation degree. It is online so everyday after work I come home and do my homework. That has been a lot of fun. There are a variety of people that populate the online learning environment and so far I have found them all pretty interesting. I think I will be able to learn something from the people I am taking the class with. Some of them have a lot of experience in the industry and some just seem to like to draw. Anyway I jumped in head first so I hope I made a good choice. We shall see where all the cards fall.

I have been writint a little bit every day. So even though I am not on here I am still writing. I wanted to share something with you:


The Slow Down

The soft rays of the setting sun cling desperately to the earth,
Things are left half in shadow, my balcony railing, my arms and my legs
The other half glows in the soft yellow sunlight of a day nearing its end
The weather betrays no trace of the changing seasons
Sunny, warm and bright: 3 words that completely describe this day
Wind rustles through the leaves of the still very green trees
Creating a soft shushing sound like a mother calming her baby
I watch and hear it all
As the Sun's rays turn a glowing orange
Before descending into the darker colors of night