pounding mountain Thai

I've found some wacky subject titles and sender names while dealing with our spam mailbox at my office. Some are downright crude, while others make no sense at all... some just seem to have something magical about them. Today I've decided to start saving some of these or using them in odd places (like this blog title).

This brings up an interesting topic that sometimes comes up with friends after I make a post: What the hell did that blog title mean?

Sometimes it's from a conversation with a friend, turning into an inside joke. If the topic I'm writing about relates to that person (or persons) I might use that as a little something to make them smile. Other times it's just random stuff that relates to absolutely nothing... and now, some of them will be spam titles and the likes. So there ya go!

This entry now realizes that even dynamite, let alone a jackhammer, will do him abolutely no good.

Ouch.

"Hi!" I said as I leaned over the seats to give my friend a hug.
"Hey!" she said as she responded to the hug.
"Who's this?" her sister inquired, with a slight air of suspicion.
"This is my friend Gabe, I work with him" was the reply.

Ouch. That's not how I'd introduce someone that I considered a friend and confidant.

This entry feels a bit butt-hurt by that one.

Did he say "Safe Erection"?

The concert we went to early tonight was a lot of fun. We got the tickets for free through work. Because we got a bunch of tickets all over the place in the arena, a few of my friends resorted to mobile phones and text messages to communicate. I ended up bouncing between a couple clusters of them between bands to say hello.

This was Rece's first concert and he really seemed to enjoy himself. He handled the noise level well and got into the music and feel of the concert crowd. Christine would perk up during some songs, but I could tell that most of it just wasn't her cup of tea - I'm guessing a bit too heavy for her liking. She did seem to enjoy herself, which I'm glad for. For me the music was good - a bit heavier than what I'd typically like to listen to, but they sounded great and they really put on a good show. Quinn was the Nickleback fan of our group. He knew the words to every song and knew some of the older stuff I hadn't ever heard before. Watching his enjoyment helped me enjoy the show even more. Very cool.

This entry feels a little hoarse and his ears feel like they've
been pounded on for hours - which I guess they were!

Half of Hardly Anything

Heart pounding in my chest.
Dorky grin on my face.
Having difficulty concentrating.
Blurting words I can't contain.
Captivated.
Wishing I had a jackhammer.
Sigh.

This entry... yeah, well... nevermind.

Over-Qualified!

The job that I interviewed for (twice) 2 weeks ago washed out. The guy from the second interview called me yesterday and told me flat-out that since I'd be working for him and we're pretty much at the same level of experience and knowledge, they didn't think it such a good idea to hire me. It makes sense, and I told him that I was afraid this would be the case seeing what he needed.

I'm not really disappointed, since this was a worry of mine as well. I sent my resume in after a friend tipped me off about an opening they had, with no idea for what job I was applying. This was some good practice and a healthy boost to my confidence in the job market. The notion that I could make at least what I'm making now for a lower position helps me put things into perspective.

This entry wants a job that's challenging and worth-while - that pays what it's worth!

Could I Borrow Your Jackhammer?

So yeah, I've been blogging less lately. No reason for it, really - I just haven't.

So let's see... hmm... last week I cleaned my apartment. Now to say this seems rather mundane, but for those who have actually seen what it used to look like, it's a big change. If you looked at my webcam before (or even after) I cleaned, you wouldn't have seen it either - as that was the area I kept the most clean. Just out of view there were piles of clutter - lots of piles.

When I got back from my camping trip the sight of my messy apartment hit me full-force. I guess I had simply gotten used to the mess over time. Seeing it after being away for nearly a week put it into perspective. So I had started cleaning, but not really as hard as I should have. Last week I had a friend coming over for dinner and it was just the push I needed to get my ass in gear to clean. It looks great! Now I just need to maintain it to keep it this way.

My friend came over, remarked at how clean it was (YES!), we had a lovely dinner, and then had a great time hanging out at the beach.

On Saturday I picked up a couple of things from Ikea to help spruce up my pad a bit. The 2 chairs in my living room had become rather dirty and because they're made of canvas, they absorbed pretty anything that came into contact with them - but were a bitch to clean. Well now they have covers on them that can be removed and washed if needed.

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Coming up on Thursday; Quinn, Christine, Rece, & I are going to see Nickelback in concert at The Pond of Anaheim. We got free tickets through my work. They're far from being my favorite band in the world, but I like a couple of the songs I've heard on the radio, plus the tickets are free - so why not?

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An aside from my life: The terrorists won, sorta, with their plot to blow up planes with liquid explosives. See, even though their plan failed, they put themselves and their cause into the minds of millions. Scaring people and governments to the point where many people's lives were disrupted. It's getting to the point where they don't even have to kill anybody to terrorize them. Just the potential of it is enough to get people to change their lives, live in fear, and see/hear/think about terrorists.

I came across this little comic strip that helps illustrate my view on this.

This entry would like to get out of the box. He doesn't
know how he got in there, but he really wants out now!

Irene Rodriguez

I was just informed that one of our long-time staff members passed away last night. Her name was Irene Rodriguez. It was apparently cancer that took her.

While I can't really claim myself as a friend, we had worked closely together on many projects over the years. She was a very hard-worker and a dedicated employee. From what I understand, this was the only job she ever had - it was her first, and ultimately her last. She worked here for over 30 years.

She will be missed.

The next step

Well, the second interview went pretty well. It was pretty different, being more of a sit-down and chat with the guy that I would have been directly working under. He wants to set up a meeting between me and the head honcho for I.T. to see what he says. I'm still optimistic about things... we'll see how this turns out soon enough, it seems.

This post was made possible by the power of flying pigs. SQUEAL!

Cool & Confident

Well the first interview (yesterday) went well. Though after finding out more about the position, it seems like a step backwards in position with only a modest increase in pay (see how much less I'm making where I'm at?!? I can find a job in a lower position for more than what I make at my current job!). I'm afraid that I might be over-qualified for this one, possibly to the point where the position wouldn't be challenging enough. If the pay difference was significant enough, I'd likely take it, but for just a few thousand more a year I'd be more inclined to just stay where I'm at - at least for now.

Anyhow, less than 2 hours after the initial interview they called me and left a message to see about setting up a second interview right away. From what I can tell, that's a pretty good sign. So after work today I'll be going there to meet the department head and see what he has to say. I feel that I owe it to myself to ride this out to the end and at least see what they're offering. We'll see what happens!

This entry feels much better after 2 cool nights of restful sleep.