I am a big giant ?

If I could have one wish right now, it would be to be able to understand and speak both Japanese and German...or is that two wishes? Or four even?

I am a random thought...

So driving around all day with a Japanese guy that speaks very little English, one's mind wanders...
We listen to the radio the whole time and do not talk very much...I sing along with the songs(satellite radio is awesome), and he kinda dances along. We were listening to US-1 which is like the billboard top 100 station or something like that but there was this slow jam playing. Then I heard it....You know what's funny? Slow jams that have cuss words in it. To me, it just totally ruins the whole slow jam motif... I love you so much...blah blah blah, they way you make me feel...blah blah blah...I see my life in your eyes...blah blah blah, then they insert the f word...just plain old ridiculous I tell you. I was laughing and Ueda-san(that's my Japanese partner-in-crime) was probably thinking, "Man, this guy is insane." But yeah, slow f'in jams...what a trip.

I wonder how the common custom of a man placing his wallet in his back pocket came from. Why there? Because I was driving today, and I realized that driving for a long time with my wallet in my back pocket is kinda uncomfortable. My wallet is really thick so it's pretty rough sitting on it, not that it's full of money or anything, there's just a bunch of trash in there...mostly receipts that I just end up throwing away, so I don't even know what the point is. Anyway, I took it out and put it in my jacket pocket, and it was a lot better. But I think I put it there, well, I was conditioned to put it there, ha ha ha, but I also keep a whole crap load of things in my front pockets, so that is my best alternative, opposed to getting a purse...which I will not do...maybe a man-bag? Hmmm... So yeah, pockets in the back pocket...how did that start? And that's what they mean when they say someone got knocked on their wallet. Ha, I love when you find the origin of things. And then, is that how back pockets even came about? Speaking of wallets...I want one for x-mas...I don't know if I said that already, but I want only the one that folds in half...regular size, not the one that folds into 3 pieces like the one I have now, but also not the check size ones. I don't like the skater ones, I like leather...but I'm not hinting or anything, I swear. Some money in it would be nice too, ha ha ha.

I went to the mall after work today for a while to see if I could get some early x-mas shopping done, or at least get some ideas of what to get people. So what ends up happening? I end up walking out of the mall without a single idea for anyone on my wishlist, and a pair of shoes...
these shoes. Strictly for basketball though, but I like them alot. they're like my Pippens that I've used for oh so long. So much for that idea...gonna have to do lots of thinking over the next few weeks. I'm up for the challenge though, it's not really the shopping of the chrismas season that excites me, more like finding something I KNOW my friends will like. Something sentimental, something that's just them...not always 100% foolproof, but I try, and it IS the thought that counts.

It's getting late...I wanted to post up the pics that I've taken so far this weekend and other stuff, but I need some sleep. Plus it'd be better to post my jersey trip #3 pics AFTER the trip is done, n'est pas?

"X-mas time is the time for gifts and giving, but more importantly the giving than the gifts...for this is the time when we remember what He gave us..."

I am Flic on a journey...

letdowns
Damn, so I woke up early today, expecting to have some good complimentary breakfast before coming into the office. So I get to the restaurant at about 7:45, expecting to eat for about 10-15 and arrive at the office about 2 or 3 min late. It was okay though, because we probably wouldn't start driving today til 9 or something, we always have to get the new software ready and make sure we're all in sync about what we're going to test about. Anyway, I'm down there and I can't smell any of the food(I was here for like 2 weeks, remember? I loved that comp breakfast), so I walked to the buffet area, and to my utter dismay, there was nothing there! Blah, it's saturday, and they don't do the comp breakfast thing on the weekends...instead, you pay like 10 bucks for the same damn thing, just cuz it's a weekend. So I got to the office earlier than I had planned, and hungry. Thank goodness that we have these "Big Cup Noodle" thingies here, so I'm waiting for this sucker to cool down and have my breakfast. I was right, we're not test driving til 10 to 9...okay, I was off by 10 min, but that's only like 16%.

It seems to have gotten even colder today than it was yesterday. It rained like there was no tomorrow though all day yesterday, and at least it's not wet outside today, which means I can wear my suede jacket...I never seem to come fully prepared over here... If it rains again, I will expense an umbrella, but I think I should be okay until Monday. Let's see, today, the high will be 46 and windy with lows in the very low 30's...thank goodness I spend most of my time IN a car and indoors for that matter. But I do plan on exploring tonight and maybe doing a little shopping...not too much though because I don't have enough luggage space to carry a lot of things. I didn't pack a big ass suitcase and I filled the one I have all the way to the brim. I don't wanna drive off too far today though on my own, this is a confusing place w/o navigation, seriously....it's crazy.

Well, I'm almost done w/ my noodles and it's about time to go...

More wishlist add-ons
-those velcro wrap thingies you can attach to your cords for easier tidying up(tiiiiiidyooooop!), like for laptops and such...
-optical mouse/keyboard(logitech)
-USB Wireless adaptor
-an intro to learning the japanese language book(maybe a business one?)
-J.Crew sweaters(I love those)
-still more comin...

"Nothing beats good home cookin..."

I am a nyquil commercial...

Man, it's been a while....

Fall cleaning?
I cleaned out my closet earlier last week...1) because Cic cleaned hers out and was gonna donate a bunch of stuff to goodwill, so I thought: 1) it might be nice to donate some stuff to the more needy 2) I have had a huge build-up of clothes I don't even wear, but never wanna part with 3) my closet was just plain old unorganized...I didn't know where anything was. So after cleaning out my closet and getting rid of stuff I pretty much knew were "outtie," not my Eagle's cutoff's, to much of your dissappointments...I'm getting buried in those things, anyway, I filled up 3 trash bags worth of clothes!!!! man alive, there was a lot of stuff I didn't wear. I would have to say the saying, "I wear 20% of my clothes 80% of the time," holds true to the letter for me. But the cool thing is that I found all these work pants I can wear to work! Duuuuuuuude, Sweeeeeet! So thanks cic for being brutally honest in telling me which clothes were ugly(and that's three bags' worth...). It sure felt good to clean it all out though....

I'm going back to New jersey, on the evening of Thanksgiving...They didn't twist my arm for that or anything like that...there was no one else that could go and it is really important, as this is one of our very important clients(well, ALL clients should be important..SHOULD)...MB. But yeah, so I said I could go and hopefully, they'll remember this come x-mas time, or something, he he he. It won't be too bad, just thursday to Monday...and I get to fly first class...so that'll be an experience. Gotta look at the positives, or else I'll just depress myself...cuz I'll be in the east coast during a holiday weekend, and the people I could visit out there will be here... keep on swimming, keep on swimming, keep on swimming, swimming, swimming....

It kinda bothers me when people(and of course, by people, I mean my friends) question my sincerity, or when they feel like I'm taking their friendships for granted. I'll be the first to admit, I do get kinda caught up in my own things, but not as an excuse or anything, lately, I've been extremely busy, what with all my traveling and all of these november engagements and stuff. And yes, I know that one must make time for their firends, but when a friend really needs to lean on a friend, I don't think that one should be expected to read one's mind. Because when you are really in need of your friends, someone to talk to, or whatever, you should call...because I am not gonna get a mental signal or anything. And I DO try to make the effort to keep in contact with my friends. Because as everyone is working and trying to keep moving forward and fighting the good fight in their own individual lives, it's important to know that when we need someone, WE call and let them know we need it, because the other person just might not be aware. I know I'm overreacting here, but that's just how I feel right now...well, back to work...

...I got a little reminiscent...
It's X-mas time...
Dear Santa,
Hi, it's me again. And I just wanted to send you my wishlist for this year. Now I have been a pretty good boy all year and I have divided up my wishlist into an A and B list. Now, I understand that the A list might be a little difficult, given the struggling economy and availablility and stuff, but I sure do deserve it. Anyway, without further ado, here it is. Please note that I rarely return items, so it is important to get the right sizes for me if you are getting me clothing...you know what I wear.

Thanks and take care

Jay

A List
-A Mercedes-Benz E320, silver
-a million dollars
-a trip to Hawaii
-the power to stop time

B List
-Friends Season 5(I can't believe I dont' have it already)
-LOTR return of the king PS2 video game
-Brown Belt (I am a size 32, but I don't know how belts work)
-Brown shoes
-Sweaters
-beanies
-work shirts
-wife beaters
-dress socks
-USB Flash drive(one of the keychain type ones, preferrably a 256MB)
-beanie's and scarves(I know it doesn't get that cold here, but I've been going to the east coast a lot)
-good books, I love books

"Sometimes, the things we feel the most are the ones that are the ones we can't find a way to describe in words..."

I am pair of pants hiding in my closet...

Dang, I didn't realize it's been such a long time since my last update. Well, I've been wanting to update, but there's been this...and then that comes along...and then there's a thing I forgot about, and then that again...let's just say it's been a little busy since I got back, which I can't believe was only like 2 weeks ago. Well, not much has happened to me dramatically lately...there's been a bunch of b-day parties to go to and that's pretty much it I think. Damn, I used to think August had hella b-days, but dude, November has a TON! And that's like right before x-mas, so going out all these weeks for these b-days has totally made a dent in my finances for x-mas gifts...which I need to start on right away, in case I get sent back out to NJ again(crossing my fingers it won't happen for a while and if it does, it's only for alittle while.).

I'm glad that the MTA strike is over now, though they are not in a binding agreement, people can get back to work w/o much of a hassle(those that need public transportation) and hopefully, by the time all the lines are up and running again, traffic won't be so bad...HOPEFULLY. As for the grocery store strike, I have not a clue as to what's goin on. I heard Ralph's is done or something or that they're sharing profits, dadadada, I don't know...haven't been able to hear much about that lately. But I do know that most of the people a few weeks ago that were pro-strikers have pretty much gone back on that and have crossed the lines. That's so sad, in the beginning of things people are so fired up and totally support causes like this. THen after the media stops covering it so much and time moves on, the fire wanes and the support is forgotten...it's just sad. The same goes for other thigns too I guess. Kinda like when someone hears a stirring or moving homily at church, or the priest or pastor says something that "just makes sense," the person gets all fired up and has this spiritual high. But then, time takes its toll and the person forgets that moving thing they heard a few weeks back. They don't do anything to pursue it, or keep the fire burning themselves, which is what spirituality is all about in my opinion: one's personal relationship with God. How can the relationship thrive if both parties aren't doing their part? Oh well, I'm breaking off on a tangent here...I need to get back to work.

"Come on baby light my fire..."

I am a finished blog...

where'd it all go?
Dude, it rained so damn hard yesterday, and now it doesn't even seem like it rained at all, what the heck? Anyway, the drive home yesterday was insane, took me over an hour, and it usually only takes me about 25-30 minutes or so...there were floods everywhere. But the lightning show sure was a sight to see, it was rather spectacular I think. But now, it's gone and the air is nice and crisp. I love the day after rain, everything smells so nice, and all the pollution and particulates are temporarily washed away, until a new set comes right back in...enjoy it while it lasts.

We had a career fair yesterday, where a bunch of universities came in and had booths, kinda like back in college...it was such a weird feeling walking through there. But I did stop and ask questions and I am thinking about going back to school for an MBA. The programs are pretty flexible, because they know that we're all full-time employees trying to further our education, and that some of us(not me) have families and stuff to take care of. 2 year program, but the pre-req's are pretty stringent, though some of the reps I spoke with said it's all based on a case-by-case scenario, because I don't have the 5 years working experience they were looking for, but for all the other requirements, I seem to fit the bill. I am thinking of pursuing this more and thinking more about it after I take and pass my EIT...which would be after April. I need to stop saying I need to start studying for that thing and do it already, dangit. But I am really excited at the thought of going back to school...I never thought I would, but lo and behold, I'm thinking about it now...

I've noticed that some of my good friends have really been down in the dumps lately... but I've been bouncing up and down and very happy with everything lately, nothing at all to complain about. I hate that, cuz it's hard for me to be totally happy when I know there are people in "valleys." I guess that's just how life goes, but I keep them in my prayers constantly and I'm gonna try and be a good friend just by being there...sucks, why can't everyone just be happy at the same time? Why do we have to take turns? I guess there's just the bigger picture we don't understand...but we will, one day...

"Life is a plan, sometimes we just don't exactly know what that plan is..."

I am an entry waiting to be posted...

my recent New Jersey trip, nothin really exciting

I am the prodigal son...

familiar ground
Boy, it's good to be back...well actually, I've been back for four days now, but just now am I feeling adjusted. I usually don't suffer from jetlag, but I think I was gone so long I got used to it. I stayed out in the sun(which is what they say to do so that your biological clock adjusts to the time where you're at), for about 15 minutes today, and honestly, it's made me feel better. I haven't really been sleepy all day...well, I also got about 9 hours of sleep last night...which can be contributed to taking a certain someone to the airport at 5 in the morning, not being able to find her flight cuz we had the wrong info, and then going home and back to the airport on my way to work(ahem). But like I said, aside from people being away in other states, it's good to be back...back in familiar territory, back in my own bed, back to blogging on regular(Pacific Standard Time) time. I would have to say that those two weeks spent in New Jersey were probably 2 of the loneliest weeks I've had in my life. I literally went out like 3 times...once in the day to visit some friends in the city for a few hours, and two movies... I mean, I im'ed w/ everyone and talked on the phone practically everyday, but actually being with friends makes a huge difference. I did get a lot of alone time, and I got to think a lot, about where I am in my life, where I see it going, and so on. And I know that if I were to ever be alone(God forbid) somewhere, I would be able to hang. But nonetheless, the dark cloud of loneliness was bound to creep in eventually. So I was so glad to see everyone at Cic's b-day and I will be again this coming friday for Belle's.

It's good to see that nothing has really changed and that I didn't miss too much. It makes me feel better about things. I hate when you come back and everything's changed. Some things DID change though, my office looks totally different...because of the 25th anniversary for Alpine, they washed all the windows(which I have been talking about doing for months now), they replaced the entire lobby with leather furniture and discarded the old ones, placed all these cool displays up there in the lobby as well, and cleaned everyone's work stations(even the people that were away), and the whole place just looks a lot better. It's nice...I guess yuo have to go all out when the president of the entire company AND Mr. J.D Power himself come to the office...too bad I missed out on all those festivities.

My room is a complete and utter mess, I have 3 weeks of laundry to do, and I have bills stacked up the yin yang sitting on my desk...it's time to get to work...

"You must be the change you want to see in the world"
-Ghandi

I am Santa's Christmas cookies and milk, sitting on the table...

My sojourn here in the East Coast draws near...finally. I can't really describe how happy I am that I'm finally going home. It's kinda like waiting for the last day of school to end, sitting in that last class...looking at the clock, knowing the end is SOOOOOO near....so near. There's still the wrap up meeting to attend before things finally close down here. About half of the people from Germany left, and most of the Iwaki dudes are leaving manana as well, but more are coming and some are coming back even. It's crazy, I tell ya. Esp, when there are scheduling conflicts, actually no...it's crazy when no one follows the freakin damn schedule...I tell you, I have never been so frustrated with work stuff in my life... Everyone's saying good-bye and it was actually cool to meet a lot of them, some were even from my office back in Torrance that I had never met. But the foreign dudes were really cool...despite all of our language barriers, we found some commonalities, such as smoking and laughing...their curiosity about American things is so amusing, it's like watching a little kid seeing things for the first time, so many questions. But, I did learn a lot on this project, I've worked with a lot of upper management and I can really take something back with me. But I can only say this...

HELL YEAH, I'M FUCKING GOING HOME BABY!!!!

"Experience is one of the greatest lessons one can learn, never stop learning"

Stuck in the car...blown fuses...grrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaattttt...this is too damn funny.

I am a turtle in the rain...

New Jersey Update...
not a long blog...but a blog nonetheless, he he he...

It's raining again, and it seems to be getting colder and colder as the days go by. Then, to make matters even better, I lost my umbrella today. Man, I hate being so damn absent-minded...I put it on top of the car after dinner and didn't remember I put it up there until we were on the freeway for about 5 minutes...damn. Now I might need to go to that Ski Barn to buy a non-suede jacket or something.

At dinner today, I accidentally miscalculated the tip, I gave a 4 dollar tip for a $30 bill...but the lady totally acted like a bitch about it when she saw me counting it out(she was watching me) and gave me a dirty look, so I left it at that, I know it was mean, but I don't like people being like that, she wasn't very good...but I still felt bad.

We were gonna see Matrix tomorrow, but these guys need to turn in our test drive reports...meaning they have to into the office earlier than usual, eliminating being able to see a 1 o'clock showing...damn. I was kinda excited too. If i had a car out here, I'd go see it, or walk if it wasn't so far... But I thought about it, and I think I'd rather watch it w/ my friends back home that I know are matrix freaks, he he he...cuz these guys just wanna see it, just to see it. I wanna talk about it, all about it after...and I don't see that happening if I go with them. I can wait a few extra days to see it I guess...if not I'll go see it myself and again with my friends...

I want a tat too
I've recently noticed that there is quite a tattoo craze goin on lately...2 people I know have gotten one recently(very) and a whole bunch more I know want to get one, or the ones that already have one want more(present company included)...I wonder what brought it about. I've been looking at different pictures of tattoos to get ideas for the past 2 hours almost...I'm getting obsessed again. No lie man, getting a tat is addicting. I wonder if it qualifies as massochistic? But it's kinda cool...I like it. Cheers to the tattoo revolution!

Appreciations
-room service
-nearby stores that I can walk to
-learning
-re-catching up with old friends
-people who come to you for advice
-looking for tattoos all night long

"You get the best from others when you give the best of yourself."

I am a mouse in a cage...

Twice in two days?...wow I'm on a roll
It sucks when you have one of those nightmares and you can't wake up from it. I have had some crazy ass ones while I've been out here, from my parents were killed by the Terminator, but the Terminator was that guy that plays Ivan Drago from Rocky...his name slips my mind at the moment, to being cheated on. In both these nightmares, I kinda knew during that it HAD to be a nightmare, but I couldn't wake up from it. You feel trapped...as if you knew about the Matrix, but couldn't get out of it, yeah, I know, dorky reference, but a reference nonetheless. It was, to say the least, really trippy man...

I actually went out w/ some of the peeps out here last night...from work that is. It was one of the German dudes, 3 of the NJ people, one from Indiana and one of the Jersey dude's wife. It was pretty cool, we laughed a lot and joked a lot, and it was good to be with these people outside the work constructs. We joked a lot about navigation systems because we got lost while on the way to the theater, it was the Jersey locals that got us lost, he he he. We saw "Scary Movie 3," which to me, totally sucked ass, but they all seemed to love it. I laughed here and there, but it was just a really bad montage, filmwise. But again, that is just MY opinion, I always tell people to go see a movie anyway, regardless of what other people say...movies are all a matter of taste, just like food, some people will like one thing and not like another, but not everyone always likes the same thing.

Appreciations
-My mama, I love her so much
-Finding the three things you love to do most but don't want to let go of any of them, even if you HAD to choose...
-Telephones and IM(this is gonna be a recurring one until I leave here)
-Hanging out after work w/ coworkers
-having only 6 days left til I go home

"No matter what the distance, the heart can bring you home."

I am the thrown stone...

Stored up thoughts and meanderings
First of all,
Happy Belated Halloween!

I haven't blogged for about 5 days, that's all I have to say...
Greetings from, not-so-rainy anymore Totowa, New Jersey! I am here now on my 7th here and still...pretty bored as usual. I try to make the best of my days here, so I guess it's okay. It's not vacation, it's work, so whatevers. But being here alone and working this particular shift(if you didn't already know, I work from 3PM-12AM over here) kinda sucks. Cuz I can't really see or hang out w/ my east coast friends. Plus I work weekends too so I can't visit my friends in Boston like I had originally planned. I did get to make a daytrip into the city before work though. They let me use the company car, which was a gigantor mistake, details to come. Needless to say, it is a lonely time out here. I got home from work last night and tried to relax with a couple beers and a smoke down at Doc's, where there was this really big Halloween party. It's hard to have fun when you're all alone. Some people actually sat down and talked w/ me for a while but after about an hour or so, I was just thinking of my friends back home too much and couldn't hang anymore. Plus, I was just too tired and went upstairs and hit the hay. So to make a long story even longer, my halloween pretty much sucked, comparable to that one halloween I spent in the computer lab back in college. But I am glad I have some friends out here...earlier this week, I got to see Ellen and Viet. We had lunch at this quaint little place in Soho called Greydogs(oddly enough, they didn't serve hot dogs) It was good food and a very comforting time to actually see friends, for a change. Didn't have time to see Leizl's work and Vera had a seminar, but maybe next week. Plus some of my other friends are rolling into NYC this week too, so maybe I can see them as well. Not likely, but it's good to hope for good things.

Word to the wise, don't ever drive in the city, not unless you're a new york taxi driver or a taxi driver from the Philippines. It is absolute chaos man. Being a Los Angeles driver, I figured I would've been able to handle it. But man oh man, I've never been honked at, cussed at, and cut off so much in my life! I was ready to have an aneurism right then and there. It was unbelievable! Drivers there are crazy aggressive, to say the least. Plus you can't turn right at red lights anywhere in the city, and even when it's green, people are crossing the street and the people behind you are honking cuz you're not going. Talk about stress...It would've been better just to take the train in, which is what I am planning to do the next time I go into the city. Sheesh...

Personality differences, group dynamics, negativity
The crazy thing about work is that often times, you will be thrown into a group where none of you really know each other, meaning you don't know what to expect. And it's a given that you won't always get along with, or like, even, the people you are made to work with. Well, here are the dynamics of my particular group. There are three of us. I'll be A and the other 2 can be B and C. Person B is the oldest in our group...about 30 and very quiet and laid back. Very sincere and really makes an effort to be doing something "useful." He gets frustrated when he feels like he's wasting his time doing nothing at all and not being "useful." I think a lot of us can learn a lesson or two from this guy. He is the dude that always picks me up from my hotel at the start of the shift and takes me back home. He's a real cool cat and we get along pretty well. Then there is person C. He is the youngest of our group, out of college about a year. I think he's 22 or just turned 23. He's pretty cool too, the first couple days after I met him again(I originally met him when he was down at the office back home for a few days when I first started), we chatted about this and that, laughed, he taught us asbout the project, me and B are pretty new to it, and really, he can be pretty cool. I guess you could say he's one of those really cool people, except for when it comes to work. The first few days of working together were fine, but then on about day 5 of working together, I started noticing how negative he was, or at least can get. I first noticed one time when all three of us were chatting and I forgot what we said, but he commented with this, "It's good to have some optimists around." I thought to myself, "Hmmm, that's a peculiar comment, I wonder what he meant by that." But last night, we ran into some frustrating issues(much too long to go into detail and much to boring to talk about at all), and he went off. Totally negative, and I was thinking to myself, man, get over it. I even commented w/ B later that evening, or rather, earlier in the morning, that he couldn't let things go. He must've ranted on and on about how things were so f-ed up and this and that...so much that I just started getting really irritated. He even went so far as to comment that the perfect ending of this bad night would be if we got pulled over, and BAM, guess what...we got pulled over and got a speeding ticket. Man this guy can be SO negative, so I know why he said what he had said earlier this week. Freak man... I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't. I told him not to waste his energy being pissed, it wasn't getting us anywhere, but he just wouldn't. I guess he just hasn't learned that that is just fruitless thinking, being so immersed in the negatory. He is also quite opinionated, which is even more of a bother. I remember at one point he was talking about how he hates how narrowminded some people are, and then he went right on and totally implicated himself as being narrow-minded. Holy sheesh! It all got me so frustrated about it when I got home, I had to totally vent about it, so thanks Cic for letting me let it out on you. So I've been thinking of ways to help him not be so negative but seem to have a mental block...man, I feel like a spop staffer again....

Another thing I've come to realize while I'm out here...there is a huge difference of having opinions and being opinionated. I find it really good to have opinions about things, it shows what you like and what you are passionate about and stuff. But being opinionated, holding on to your opinions unreasonable and stubbornly. I mean stubbornly, I guess isn't that bad, but unreasonably? I mean, if you can totally back up what you're saying then fine, I respect that. I don't necessarily have to side w/ you, but I am open-minded enough to know that people think different things. I guess I'm just really annoyed right now...

The weather has actually taken a turn for the warmer as of late. Well, actually just today and tomorrow, it'll be in the low-seventies. That's just during the day though, it gets quite chilly again at night. I liked it better when it was cold...not rainy, but cold. The change in weather has actually caused my nose to bleed, which really does not happen very often...ask my friends, I can count on one hand how many nosebleeds I've had in my life. It happened while I was getting ready for work. I had to use one of the hotel towels, cuz there wasn't anything else to stop the bleeding with. It looked pretty nasty, I hope the cleaning lady doesn't freak out or anything. Oh just great...it's bleeding again...grrrr

I am really looking forward to coming back home. It'll be weird working a normal 9-6 shift again because I've kinda gotten used to sleeping in, but as always, I have been accustomed to change and I can adapt quite readily I think. So it might take a day or two, but it won't be so bad once I get back in the groove. But I am really looking forward to being within drive's reach of my friends again...Roscoe's and Hooters, digital pics and blogs, and all that jazz....

Appreciations
-My cingular Nation Plan
-IM
-E-mail
-Not being out here forever
-Being at the halfway point of my trip
-complimentary breakfasts
-being able to sleep in
-TV
-The bar downstairs
-The gym downstairs

Not-so-appreciated
-Rain(on the first few days here)
-working 3PM-12AM
-not really knowing my way around
-not having a car
-not being able to see my friends
-not being able to see my friends back home

I miss you guys

"If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair."
-Samuel Johnson