pick a car, any car

so here's a fun little game for you. its called help thesharester pick out a new car by voting for one i'm currently considering or suggesting a different one for me to consider.

1. VW Passat








2. Honda Accord



(no pic)


3. Pontiac G6













4. VW Jetta









5. (fill in blank)

o great

so i'm trying to comment on my own blog and at first cant figure out what letters are on the stupid word verification thing, which as mentioned previously, is not really a word at all. but apparently its trying to verify that i'm a person rather than a computer. so if i cant figure it out, what does that say about me?

just another day at the office

dying to know what it is that goes on during my days at work? so am i!! this is a snall sample of what a typical day sounds like:

hey will you log on to IMS and ISPF and do the RL14392s and the CL19854. and if you dont mind taking care of the R6500 report today too.

o thats easy, we just roll up the c1492 and c3045 and c1032 components to get that.

yeah you'll have to ask the SME and then bounce it.

call up the DSA and see if you can get VPN to SCP.


its pretty ok i guess, but i wish i'd taken greek in school. cuz it sounds like they are speaking it at work.

congratulations!

go astros.

a post about lance

so this is kind of a random post because i've been away from my fave place of gresham for quite some time now, but i just wanted to mention what an incredible guy lance is. he is the youth minister at ggbc and he and his wife jen are some of my bff fo shizzle. they are probably the reason i ever went back to ggbc, because that first summer i went they invited me to help at the youth in the evenings, and then would also invite me out to go see movies or chill at their house. then this past summer i got to help out with the youth ministry some more, and go to centrifuge & world changers. pretty much lance is the only person that i've EVER seen eat 10 dumdums at one time. and it was pretty much hilarious. they have a difficult task at their church but they also have some of the coolest youth ever and they do a rock solid job of helping students grow in Christ and leading students to know Christ as their Savior. anyways, he & jen rock my face off. i wish that you could know them because i'm convinced they are 2 of the most coolest people in the world.

p.s. did you talk to joe today?

escalators

i'm not gonna lie. one of my favorite things about work is the abundance of escalators. there are not a whole lot of escalators in midland, zero in particular at midland park mall, so i can remember as a child particularly finding great pleasure in riding up and down an escalator. you'd think i would have grown out of this by now, but i must admit that i still enjoy it. a lot. i've never seen taller escalators than those buried deep underground in the tube in london. you quickly realize that you must stand on the right, walk on the left because some people, are in quite a hurry. sometimes you are that person. and people standing in the middle=uncool. but anyways, those things are huge!! we don't have any so huge at work, but we do have about a bazillion of them.

this morning at about 7.15am I was groggily making my way up the maze of escalators from the depths of the parking garage (which is really quite the process). I'd almost made it out when I decided to try to clip my ID onto my jeans pocket (hooray casual fridays). Normally this is not quite such an ordeal, but perhaps because it was so early in the morning or perhaps in my excitement over the escalators, i dropped my ID. I was already nearing the top and I could see the steps disappearing viciously into the floor. I think I then uttered an audible gasp. Two scenarios flashed through my head, the first that my ID card was simply sucked into the stair sucker never to be found again, costing me a small fortune and some job repercussions, not to mention some humiliation. The other scenario was the ID card catching in the stair sucker and causing the whole escalator to jam, and leaving it painfully obvious to security just who screwed it up, since my name is on the ID. Luckily, I, butterfingers, was able to snatch up the ID just before it was sucked away. And I clipped it on my jeans and went to work.

now that's more like it

so yesterday i didnt' have to go to training class, instead i got to work alongside my mentor, learning how to prepare some reports and about systems that i will be using. he also took me around to meet some people from other teams that i will be working with. i did take a few hours of online training classes, but just doing something at least semi-productive for most of the day made time go by sooo much faster than sitting in class, and it made the day much more enjoyable. of course other factors include a sudden change in the weather from gross hot to oh my goodness chilly but INCREDIBLE and also casual dress friday. or maybe it was the frappucino i had. either way, yesterday was pretty alrite for being at work on a friday.

further excitement came from realizing that i'd had my contacts in the wrong eye for the past 3 days or so. my left eye is significantly more blind than my right eye, but somehow i'd messed up my contacts and somehow NOT FIGURED THAT OUT for 3 days of being blind. but yesterday at work i couldn't figure out why i couldnt see my mentor's computer screen even after he'd adjusted the resolution. it dawned on me as i practiced closing one eye, then the other, that i could only see blurryness out of both eyes, yet my contacts were both in. sure enough, this morning i switched them and it all became clear.

last night i went with some folks from church downtown to investigate 'first friday', a street market similar yet quite inferior to portland's saturday market. so we walked around looking at street vendors and listening to local bands. it was alrite, but portland clearly has it going on in this type of venture. today i was going to meet up with some friends to watch the red river shootout, but as i drove up the place was flooded with burnt orange vehicles and everyone walking in was plastered with tu fan gear. if it was all maroon and howdys, this site would warm my heart, but hypocritically this site makes me nauseauted and wonder what extremists/losers are inside. it was too much for me to handle. so i turned around came home...and turned the game on tv to pull against all odds for the sooners.

quote unquote

from alias-

syd: marshall, its me
marshall: oh yeah, i know. i gave you your own ring tone. so. did you find the bomb?

syd to weiss: i will see you soon. God knows i have plenty of frequent flier miles.
weiss: i was just thinking about d.c. in the summer. i'm a sweater.

*if weiss goes too, then i officially cannot STAND alias.

from Bible study-

jeremy: sara and i, on our honeymoon, i got to hold an alligator. yeah, it was so cool. oh yeah, and we went to the holocaust museum. i'm really good at planning stuff like that obviously. thats why we dont celebrate our anniversaries, because i clearly would mess a thing like that up.

from kara's away message-
people just totally came over and caught me in my robe. i can't decide if that is sexy or loserish.


from my brain-

hip hip hooray for friiiiiday.

i'm sorry

an online card from my mom that will make you laugh.

*i hope you already read it b/c i broke the link b/c i dont want the whole world to know my parents email address. but it was a super funny card. holler if you missed it and i'll send you the link.

go figure

so it wasn't quite the weekend i had envisioned, but i guess is should have seen it coming when vaughn was killed on thursday night. i mean, talk about a downer of a way to start things off. but lets say beforehand i felt maybe a bit like a piece of chewed up gum, and afterwards i felt like spit out gum on the bottom of someone's shoe who just happens to be climbing to the top of a mountain.

there is definitely something therapeutic about seeing friends from old school times, particularly when everyone is doing awesome in life and are succeeding at levels you had previously only dreamed about together. to see what God brings into fruition in your friends lives is pretty much awesome. also having been exclusively hanging out with people i've known for less than a month, seeing old friends was particularly pleasant.

so tonite i hit up barnes & noble for one exciting night. ok, so it was better than watching more tv, but perhaps doesn't warrant the word exciting. but one can always find interesting books there. there were two that stand out in my mind from tonight. the first alarmed me: it was entitled God's blogs, and apparently the author had made up postings for God's blog. imagine. typing God's blog for him. imagine that there's a book about God having a blog. crazy times.

the other one was a lexicon of intentionally ambiguous recommendations (LIAR) when writing refrence letters. you can be honest without being brutal, a key skill you must admit, by saying things such as the following.

I cannot recommend this person too highly.
I recommend this candidate with no qualification whatsoever.
He has made immeasurable contributions to our firm.
In all the discussions she and I have had over the years, her salary never came up.
I simply can't say enough good things about him.
I am sure that whatever task she undertakes -- no matter how small -- she will be fired with enthusiasm.
I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine.
She is always trying.
He is a difficult man to replace.
She is one of the most discriminating people you'll ever meet.
He will take full advantage of his staff.
She takes a lot of enjoyment out of her work.
His input was always critical.
I found myself frequently raving about her work.
I would place this student in a class by himself.
She is now ready to strike out in a career.
He is resigning a position that he has held with our firm for years. I truly wish there were more people like him.
We were teetering on the threshold of bankruptcy last year, but her efforts pulled us through.
For the services he has rendered to our firm over the years, we find ourselves deeply indebted.
She works without direction.
He works effortlessly.
To get the job done, we need ten employees like her.
Attacking a difficult challenge, she doesn't think twice.
You should seriously consider initiating an offer since she probably won't apply herself.
When he worked for us, he never did anything halfway.
We were forever asking her for new ideas.
You can't offer this man too high a salary.
How did she manage those who worked for her? Quite fairly.
There is nothing you can teach a man like this.
She was never away from the job too long.

(no, i didn't sit there and write all these down. they are from here

blog killer

i've been reading up on some blogging legalities, and it seems that once again in our society the misdeeds of a few have brought punishment for everyone. blogging about the workplace is generally considered taboo and is becoming increasingly illegal to mention much of what goes on behind those walls, or in my case, the compound. a pretty cool compound, but still. add to that a layer of intense information security native to my particular workplace, and the many funny comments and happenings, and also the strange little interesting things that go on are not bloggable. which really threatens to kill, or at least hamper, my quote based theme and also much of the events that would give me material to blog about. but i'm trying to get the hang of relating my life to you without being shady in the blogger world.

p.s. did i mention, as a follow up to an earlier blog, that i bought with birthday moolah from my parentsies Adobie Premiere Elements & Photoshop Elements???? heck yes i did!! much greatness. so little time to enjoy.

those words

those words
they sink in deep
deeper than my own thoughts
right into the core
of who i am and
who i want to be
and it hurts worse
than i want to admit
and i'm not sure what
to do with
those words

waiting

you didnt look comfortable as you
sat there waiting for your turn
and it seemed like the comments of those
that passed by
hurt you more than the things you'd seen
and the memories crowded around
you served more fury than satisfaction
maybe if given a chance to redo then
you would not choose the same track
but as you sat there waiting
i was watching and i was
waiting for you

if you want me to

IF YOU WANT ME TO

The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will go through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley
If You want me to

--ginny owens

musical faves

probably when i'm old (if i ever have to be old) then i will read this list and scoff at my pitiful music tastes, but simply to provide myself that pleasure, an alphabetical top ten for the month of sept 2005 here at the sharester apartment, as denoted by my itunes counter:

bless the broken road, rascal flatts
gone, tobymac
i'll fly away, alison krauss
my happy ending, avril lavigne
shoot the moon, norah jones
strong tower, kutless ****most fave****
this fragile breath, todd agnew
we fall down, kutless
who i am hates who i've been, relient k
you and me, lifehouse

would you rather

so this coming weekend i'm headed to be a d-now leader at a friend's church and he has provided us with the now infamous 'would you rather' questions, to foster discussion among the students. now, any ggbc youther would probably attest to the fact that i am far from a novice at asking such questions, particularly on long road trips as i'm driving uber cool vehicles, i.e. mini-van, but perhaps you are unfamiliar with the exercise. i thought i would discuss them with you, my bloggy friends, over the next few days to foster discussion on my blog. as in the comment section of my blog.

so. would you rather...

1. be lied to or about?

hands down one of the very most important things in the whole wide world to me is honesty. probably being lied to is the thing that makes me the most angry out of everything else. being lied about really stinks too though, but i've gotta think you've at least got your reputation to go on there so people can judge for themselves if its truth or not. lying sucketh.

2. grow hair out of your nose or out of your ear?

like this seriously makes me want to hurl. i think nose hair grosses me out the most.

3. get a job making lots of money doing something you hate or doing something you love and make close to no money?

this is kinda touchy with me right now. i have definitely put enough thought into this over the past year to last us all a really long time.

4. have the mild or hot sauce from taco bell?

when i was a kid and my mom ordered taco bell she always got us mild sauce. so for the longest time i always got mild sauce for myself. then i went through a wow-taco-bell-is-so-disgusting-i-hate-it-like-none-other phase for quite a while, then i went to the northwest where there is umm zero mexican food and so i was like taco bell isn't so bad. and so now i go there some. but one time i was like hmm i'll try hot sauce. and i like it. so, in a word, hot sauce from taco bell.

5. drink sour milk or eat baby food?

baby food. fo shizzle. i'm kinda particular about milk. first off, i dont really care for it. at all. but it is necessary for things like cereal and smoothies, etc. but if its more than like 2-3 days old i'm out. its sorta like tennis players who use a new can of balls every time they play. thats me and milk. i like to open a new one every time.

6. be punched in the stomach or be kissed by a member of the opposite sex?

is this like really a question? i guess it is if you are working with junior hi students, but seriously, no question here.

7. do 10 push-ups or 10 sit-ups

sit-ups. i've been doing a lot of sit-ups lately. i'll be like laying on the couch and realize i forgot my tea in the kitchen and i'll have to sit up and then go get it on the commercial.

8. lick feet or sniff armpit hair?

feeeet.

9. eat ketchup plain or mustard plain?

mustard. despite what j-mase says, i'm still not that into ketchup.

10. be forced to eat throw-up or lay in a pile of doggy doo

let me just say that in my question asking, THIS would never be one because i detest throw up so much that the thought of it makes me pretty nauseated.

mmm on that note, thats all for now. i had another stimulating weekend of....doing pretty much absolutely nothing. i am spending this week pulling 10hr days at work in order to have friday off so i can go up to dallas for said d-now.

special shout out to my freda & amy cuz i heart ya and i miss asking questions with you while making power bracelets.

this IS my happy faaayce

um, don't be such a crab.

back in the rowing seat

wednesday i finally gathered up the courage to investigate one of the workout centers at work, and also finally remembered to take my tennis shoes with me to work. they provide the rest. i glanced around the cardio room and with great delight spotted 2 rowing machines tucked away in the far corner. so yesterday and again today i rejoiced in my return to rowing which provided much pleasure last spring. so...yay.

this hurricane stuff is quite crazy, i think it must be quite the interesting year to be at aggieland, but i obviously am not there. i am safely tucked away in san antonio.

i think there is actually some validity in going to bed and getting up at a consistent time helps your body get into a nice groove. i'm slowly adjusting to a 'normal' schedule, and its getting easier and easier to get up and then to fall asleep at night. but i've got to say its kind of boring. i sort of miss the excitement of staying up randomly late and getting up really late and meeting up with friends at like 11pm to go hang out. but, last night i got my first paycheck, which helped ease the pain.

my new couch

so here ya go, by popular demands, visualization of my new furniture in my new apartment. more pics later, but for now:

one can see my new furniture stuff




and also my nice table, courtesy of the hopkins....gracias



and my ghetto tv set up with my tiny tv that hopefully will all be replaced soon

non-competition clause

so matt and i seriously do have a non-competition clause i believe that went into effect roughly about the time we were both at a&m-ish. but i need to also post where i went camping this summer.




this is me leading worship at said campout.


when one cant think of anything to blog about, one can always post pictures. today was perhaps one of the most boring of my life. i spent many hours listening to a lecture on mainframes. i felt like a nerd. but ya know, what can ya do. so my internet and furniture came on saturday and the aggies won so overall it was quite the stellar day. i'm starting to feel like i have most of the things i need. i bought some spoons so i'm no longer eating cereal with a measuring spoon. which is nice, because measuring spoons are so deep its kinda hard to get the cereal out. but anyway, i'm like up past my stinkin bed time because i'm such an old person now. that is just great. getting up at 6am.