Retort: Where have the good men gone- WSJ, Kay S. Hymowitz

This morning I was reading through the journal and came across this article by Kay Hymowitz.  The gist of it is women are set to start making a family and become an adult well before men who now relish in video games, one night stands, and binge drinking trips to Vegas.  From spending time in 3 major cities from my early twenties to now being thirty-one I’ve come to dispute this to a degree.  Each city has its own culture and within that you have multiple sub-cultures that exist.  The singles scene in Dallas is entirely different in LA and neither is like Austin.  From everything the author says I’m going to assume that she lives in NYC.  Her opinions as well as the comedian, Julie Klausner, she references are ripe with prejudice from their industry and cities.  As a comedian making a living your living situation isn’t stable.  You’re constantly on the road, working late hours due to the scheduling of comedy shows, and the allowance for routine isn’t readily available.   As a writer almost the same situation applies as above.  I also know from personal experience the dating pools in both LA and NYC are fairly lacking.

The mindsets of women who are dating in today’s time are considerably different in the real world then the writer gives credit for.  Women in major economical powerhouses such as Dallas, LA, and NYC aren’t mainly focused on settling down or dating in the traditional sense in their early to mid twenties.  I think a portion of this comes from the “I deserve this” attitude handed out by Sex and the City, the reality TV shows, and idolizing people for their whorish ways.  Women want to be neck deep in the scene factories these cities produce.  They want to be with the $30,000 millionaires, they want the appearance of living the lives of celebrities and all that entails.  The women in Dallas have an idea that you should provide for them the life they think will make them happy.  More often than not this revolves around materialistic items as opposed to emotional support.  The women I’ve hung out with and dated in and around these major metropolitan cities will let you in their body in a heartbeat, ask them something to let you in their mind or heart and you have a better chance of winning the lottery.  Women these days want a guy that is built in the image they have for prince charming.  This idea they have built up to have every piece exactly as imagined is a humorous all be it ambitious way to go about dating.  From my experience the majority of women in these cities aren’t looking for an emotional need; the ones that are have been the exception.  Women don’t seem to want to settle down until they start getting near their 30’s.  They don’t want a relationship with someone who is emotionally available.

Guys, in general, seem to see how far they can take something before they get their hand slapped.  In the case of relationships or as a lot of people call it these days, “hanging out”, guys will continue on the one night stand/ hook up with someone until they aren’t allowed.  From an age of friends with benefits where courting someone has become such an oddity can you really blame the guy for the situation?  I have a good number of girl friends that have fallen into the trap of allowing the following scenario.  They meet at a bar with their friends, later in the night the guy shows up with his friends and they leave together at the end of the night.  The next morning the guy or girl leaves bright and early.  This also happens when one person sends a txt around 1:00 with the intention of meeting up after 2:00 when they leave.   This relationship of sorts continues like this for weeks or a months until one of the people assumes they are dating and they wither become a couple or separate because of differing opinion.  The differing opinion is what gets me.  There is a test I use when I look to see if dating is in play or this is just hanging out. 

1.       Do you see each other in environments that do not involve alcohol?

2.       Does the communication routinely start before 9:00pm

3.       Is there an assumption from either group of friends the other will be joining you for plus one situations?

4.       Have you had any sort of in-depth conversation where drugs, sex, cartoons, or movies weren’t the main focal point?

5.       Have you ever spent the day with them, tubing down the river, partying on the lake, attending a beer garden or football games does not constitute spending a day with this person.

If the majority of the answers are no then you aren’t going to end up dating the person you are hanging out with anytime soon.  Most likely never unless the hanging out had recently started.  I firmly believe you can’t force the transition from hook up to dating.  If one party’s idea of taking the relationship to the next level is inviting them to pre-drink with you before going to the bar things won’t work out.  Girls, for some unknown reason, tend to gravitate towards project guys.  They want to fix and mend then mold this person until the person they really think they are capable of being.  The problem is, most guys don’t care who you want us to be.  You push, we run.  Numerous relationships start out with both parties not looking to be in a relationship.  Girls see a guy (or vice versa) who they think is very attractive and has a devil may care attitude which they find sexy.  They’ll date him for a few months, usually finding out very quickly in the relationship they are low on this persons priority list.  I’ve found that girls want a guy that isn’t too available.  Since they aren’t looking for a relationship they continue on this redundant process. 

I think the author of this story negates to address the problem as a whole.  Guys or boys or men all have routines.  We are simple creatures by nature and easy to understand.  The issues come when a woman tries to apply her logic to a guy; it’s nowhere near the same.  It’d be like comparing simple arithmetic (guys) to wave mechanics (girls).  We just don’t over analyze and complicate things as much as you all.  One of the funny quotes in the article, “They watched movies with overgrown boy actors like Steve Carell, Luke and Owen Wilson, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Will Farrell and Seth Rogen, cheering their awesome car crashes, fart jokes, breast and crotch shots, beer pong competitions and other frat-boy pranks”.  What the author doesn’t seem to understand is that this really is the essence of the male.  At some point we all partially grow up.  By partially I mean we can be corralled into doing dinner functions and present acceptable behavior in some public situations.  I have some very intelligent friends (I don’t lump myself into that category); more lawyers than I should know, a soon to be dentist, investment bankers, network administrators, and a doctor.  Yet we all go into hysterical laughter when someone gets hit in the nuts.  We get speechless at the site of a beautiful woman who is a little cold and “it’s a wee bit nipply” style jokes come out in droves.  These same people do and say everything the author things is boyish.  As a man, in age only, this is who I am.  It hasn’t changed since the dawn of time, yet for some reason women tend to believe they can change who a man is fundamentally.  Note the author in the article cited multiple physiological experiments, DNA tests, statistics to come to her conclusion.  She could’ve gone to a local pub and done an hour of observation to get the same loop sided conclusion.

Teaching/ Union rant

There is a big stir going on right now about the pay cut to teachers in Wisconsin.  There was also a huge out cry when “Waiting for Superman” suggested that bad test scores were brought on by bad teachers.  I think if anyone is honest with themselves they know bad test scores are a combination of bad teachers, students not paying attention, and teachers having to teach for a test as opposed to real world applications.  Everyone had teachers growing up throughout the course of their educational journey who were horrible.  They treated everything as black and white (unless the subject is math it doesn’t hold water) and ruled the classroom with an iron fist.  We also had teachers that could care less about anything that went on in their classroom.  They were usually older and tenured treating the class with the same enthusiasm of a bad marriage; going through the motions just enough to get by.

My personal issue with unions of any kind boil down to protecting the weakest members at the expense of the public.  They are also ripe with corruption.  There are always hundreds of stories of corruption, walk outs, picketing, etc from every labor, police, or teaching union every year.  Its basely politics with a pyramid scheme in play.  The closest thing I’ve ever come to being involved in a union type job was when I was in the military, so I don’t have direct firsthand knowledge.  From the research I’ve done unions aren’t beneficial in today’s modern society.  In the public sector you don’t get a blanket raise every year regardless of performance, you can be fired at any time for any reason, and you climb the promotion ladder based on your talent level, not seniority.  I manage a good number of people now and I filter out and fire (I know management would rather I say release) whoever doesn’t make the cut.  I don’t care if they have been with the company for years, if they don’t perform then I let them go.  Now I do try to see if their skill set is better put to use in another department before I fire them and I give them an opportunity to improve their performance.  More often than not though they go the way of the word processor.  This isn’t so in Unions, you have to show just cause for firing someone and you have to put in multiple corrective action forms along with continuing education training before showing a panel someone should be released.  That’s ridiculous!  It constantly allows people to perform at a certain base level instead of achieving a bell curve like result that a normal company has in its employees.  If the employee performance is flat it shows collusion between employees not to beat certain levels of performance and production.  The standard theory is if you can make x widgets x hours then that is your base, some people will do x+5 and some x-2 widgets but you have a base.  The whole theory in unions is everyone always makes X widgets. Period.  If you make X+5 widgets then management expects the base to increase to X+5 and you should only increase your base when it’s time to negotiate a new contract.

In teaching it’s a lot different, but their some best practices that need to be put in place.  I strongly feel education as a whole needs to be overhauled.  The same basic education system hasn’t been touched in 15 years.  The subjects taught need to be re-vamped and updated from Kindergarten through high school.  I think cursive writing should be taken out, foreign languages should be installed way earlier than junior high, mathematics should be applied and budgeting along with computer courses that teach excel should be mandatory.  History in general needs to be updated.  There are huge portions of world and US history that are routinely left out or given a small paragraph on.  Teaching for a test doesn’t impress upon a student the need for continuing education throughout their life time.  All it does is reinforce to students they are only learning this portion of information to score well on a test.  It’s a short term goal that doesn’t continue to long term learning. 

Teachers that provoke our thoughts and challenge our minds are the ones we remember.  Those are the teachers that should be getting paid a lot more.  Yet they are usually the ones that are ostracized by the masses.  I do think as a whole teacher’s should be paid more, a lot more.  If you job is to train societies next batch of humans to contribute to society the goal should be to get the best and brightest people in there.  Private Schools act this way and make a large profit doing so, public schooling should take a clue from the public sector and start operating under this notion.  They can’t though; the union wouldn’t allow hiring the best person for the job because they are available.  They wouldn’t allow replacing someone who has constantly let down the students and treated teaching with indifference.  They can’t truly gauge how a teacher interacts with his or her students because they have to give adequate notice on reviews.  Is it any wonder the profitable companies become so by their actions and governments at every level are going broke due to their operating procedures?  Would Warren Buffett, Gordan Bethune, or Michael Dell even consider operating their companies in the way a union or government does?

ATX Job Hunting

I’ve recently decided to move back to Austin.  I was talking to Lani on the phone last night and she made a lot of good points for coming home.  My reason for staying in Dallas was always worked related.  Since I changed jobs and this one wasn’t anything near what I thought it would be I might as well start looking in ATX.  The market in Austin is definitely more competitive and the pay isn’t the same, but I think the quality of life in Austin is so much better. 

The last weekend being in Austin reaffirmed by belief in this.  We didn’t do anything we wouldn’t have done any other weekend but it’s the people that make the experience so much better.  Being able to hang out with my really good friends and reminiscing about things from the past was great.  Most of my friends are now married, have a kid on the way, or are engaged but being able to sit and talk with them through dinner or over drinks was great.  People in Austin don’t have the initial reaction to judge you based on your appearance, job, or vehicle.  It’s all about who you are and what values you hold true.  Even with random people in Austin I’m able to hold debates on subjects that would inspire fury in Dallas due to a difference of opinion.  Austin people just seem more open minded about everything.  The women are hands down better than Dallas; each time to go to Austin I meet someone new that is great.  She is entertaining, has a unique style, and seems like a genuinely good person.  It’s about 1% of the girls in Dallas that come off to any of this degree.  The ability to road bike and mountain bike is way better, the food isn’t a competition, and the lake scene is the best in Texas.  I know that I mentioned the women, but when you combine a healthy city, with 3 colleges, and good industry you have a Mecca for the most beautiful girls ever.

I applied for a few jobs at a company in Austin today and I’m going to start blasting out the resume tonight when I get home.  I definitely have a high outlook for a possible future if I can just get back to ATX and find a job.  So if anyone out there knows of a company in Austin that is looking to hire someone with Crystal/ SQL/ Access/ Excel certs for a business analyst I’m all in!

The dating questionaire... shoot me now

History:

I met someone online and she sent me this questionaire to fill out.  I didn't realize how friggin long this thing was until I got to page 3.  I definietly deleted some of the questions as they were just dumb and I didn't think she'd notice 4 or five random questions over 6 pages long!!!!  (simmered down)  Anyway, we've been talking off and on for a few weeks and we're supposed to go out this week.  This questionaire makes me re-think everything.  If you actually get to the end you'll see I started to get annoyed at this... Anyway Iv'e emailed it back to her.  I'm already 100% less interested in her, but that's because someone else I met is about 1,000 times cooler than her.  Plus if this is what it's like in the early stages you may have to hid all of my guns, knives, and brass knuckles as it would be down hill.  FM for saying I like filling out survey's or interviews- maybe she read the blog, maybe she's reading the blog now... meh

Where did you grow up?

All over the place; I was born in Hawaii, then moved to California, followed by Colorado, Tennessee, Texas with a part time NY residence, then back to Texas for jr. high and on.

* Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I have 2 half sisters, a step brother and a half brother.

* Where did you go to high school?

L.D. Bell

* Where did you go to college?

Northlake, SMU, and a few credit hours at UT. 

* What was your major in college?

Business Management

* What are your favorite sports?

Soccer, Football, MX, Wakeboarding, Snowboarding, baseball too but it has to be in person

* What sort of work do you do?

I manage some finance locations around the Ft. Worth area and hate it.  I never thought I’d say this but I miss writing code and being fully immersed in the BA world.

* Which three (3) famous people do you admire most?

Truman, Rommel, Galileo

* Which three (3) famous people do you NOT respect?

Hitler, Clinton, Stalin/ Mussolini

* Which three (3) famous people would you most want to be like?

Lance Armstrong, George Patton, Albert Einstein

* What personal values and principles are the most important to you?

Intelligence, honesty, fearlessness.

* What marriage values and principles are the most important to you?

Honesty, trust, openness, humor

* Using single words or phrases, how would you describe yourself?

Mildly retarded, awkwardly random, enthusiastic, open minded, energetic

* Where do you see yourself in five (5) years to 10 years?

Either A) settled down with a wife and family or B) continuing to be a work-a-holic, partying like I’m 18, and traveling non-stop.  It’s the bi-polar in me that drives the oxymoronic portions of my life.

* What are your favorite websites?

ESPN, eBay, FB, Fox News, and CNN

* What are your favorite television shows?

Top Gear, Family Guy, Tosh, South Park, mainly comedy and history

* What are your favorite movies?

Black Hawk Down, We Were Soldiers, Inglorious Bastards, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Meet Joe Black, Hangover, Kill Bill,

* Who are your favorite bands?

My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against, Swollen Members, White Stripes,

* Who are your favorite singers?

Randy Rodgers, Eminem, Wade Bowen, Mazzy Star, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Otis Redding, I love music so much that it’s too hard to narrow down things.  It’s the sound track to my life and I look at music the way most pregnant women roll through emotions.  Each song has a time and place for me on how I felt at that moment.

* What type of books do you read?

Biographies, philosophy, and fiction.  I love to read so this is pretty open

* What is your favorite food?

Mexican- hands down Mexican

* What is your favorite dessert?

Either Cheesecake, crème Brule, or anything chocolate

* What is your favorite snack?

Flips or twizzlers.  Salt and vinegar potato chips with a turkey samich is also great

* What is your favorite way to spend an evening during your workweek?

Come home, work out, cook some food, watch a little TV, then read a few chapters of a book and rack out.  It’s a standard day, not my favorite but pretty standard operating procedure these days.

* What is your favorite way to spend an evening during your days off from work?

Hit the lake during the day followed by either grilling out or going out to eat with friends and end up listening to some live music with drinks.  That’s kind of a realistic perfect day.

* Do you look at the nutritional information on food labels as you shop?

Unfortunately yes.  I have curbed a lot of the things I used to eat and I miss them

* Do you take vitamins and supplements?

Yup.  I need to.  I don’t eat veggies so I take vitamins and during training for century rides I take supplements.  I love Cliff bars, Cliff gels, and Cliff Chews and fruit protein smoothies.

* What kind of exercise or sports activity do you like to do?

Cycling, running, soccer, mountain biking, wakeskating, hiking, snowboarding (horribly), and shooting

* Do you look at price tags when you shop? Or do you just get what you want and not worry about the price or getting a deal?

Yes, I splurge on some things but I’ve never been in the mindset that cost doesn’t matter.  I think you have to balance cost vs quality and need.  Something’s may seem expensive but the longevity of the item will be worth it.  My road bike was pretty steep but it’s going to last for a long time.  Quality dress shoes are like this as well.  You could spend $300 for handmade Italian loafers, $150 for Cole Hans, or $25 for payless brand.  I go with the Cole Hans since they offer the style, craftsmanship, and value between the three.

* If you could afford any car, which one would you buy?

If money and practicality weren’t an issue then it would be an exotic such as a Buggatti Veyron, Ruf CTR-3 or a CCXR.  As for real world application I would go with speed, style, and functionality for a Mercedes E63 AMG.

* How would you describe the perfect house including the décor, furnishings, appliances, and landscaping?

This is a damn detailed question- The perfect house to me would be on the lake or ocean and have a Mediterranean look to it.  Pool and hot tub are a most in my dream world; I’d like it to be fairly open with a lot of windows but with a contemporary décor.  With all of the advancements in appliances I’d want it to be done with an energy star mind set, tank-less hot water heater, and radiant barrier.  I’d also like solar panels and a generator for energy storage.  As for appliances… The standard ones are cool with me.  I’d be happy as long as I have a rocking kitchen.

* Is punctuality important to you or are you usually a little late?

I’m usually too early.  I plan to be 15 minutes early and plan our contingencies in case something happens along the way.  It really annoys me when I’m supposed to be somewhere at a certain time and I’m late.

* Do you like everything to be well planned and organized or are you more casual?

I’m definitely a planner.  Although my home is a zone of organized chaos, I plan for things and I’m very organized on my planning.  I use MS Excel for my packing and grocery lists and if I had MS Access on my home computer I’d have a database set up for things.

* Do set short and long-term goals for yourself?

Yup.  I have numerous short term goals that lead to my long term goals.  I think you have to keep an eye on things that are important to you

* What is the formula for good communication in a love relationship?

Openness and honesty.  Sometimes honesty does hurt but I personally feel that I’d rather be in trouble for being honest than lying.  The old quote of “you never have to try and remember the truth” holds true.  Lying leads to all kinds of trust issues that I feel hurt and hamper growth in a  relationship.  If you’re open with your significant things just flow better.

* What do you see as the best way for a couple to resolve conflicts?

This is a dumb question to me, but talking about it with an open mind is the best way.  Compromise has to be in play too.  You shouldn’t dig your heels in on unimportant matters or things that won’t be a factor in the long run.

* How would you describe your needs for affection in a relationship?

It’s needed; don’t treat me as just a friend but don’t treat me as if I’m being deployed tomorrow. 

* How would you describe your needs for sex in a relationship?

Often and Frequent?

* What is your greatest achievement?

EIB

* What is your greatest disappointment?

Losing a very close friend

* What is your best attribute?

I’m not good at self praise so I’ll defer on this one

* What is your worst attribute?

I can come off cocky at times.  I also get frustrated filling out long questionnaires.

* If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My all or nothing attitude

* What is your greatest passion?

The pursuit of knowledge.  I think you should always want to better yourself and learning about people, places, culture, and history are keys to that enlightenment.

* What do you enjoy doing the most?

Learning and being outdoors.

* What are your top three (3) most important dreams?

A) Travel the world

2) Find someone to be with were the look and thought of me doesn’t make her vomit in her mouth and settle down.

E) Enlighten and mentor someone

* What are your favorite songs for love and romance?

“Long Way Down”- Swollen Members with Sarah McLaughlin

“Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”- Otis Redding

“Smother Me”- The Used

* What are your favorite men's/women's colognes/perfumes for love and romance?

This question is confusing and I don’t understand the “love and romance” part- so favorite cologne is Diesel Green or Burberry Touch; pretty much all the Burberry cologne’s are good.

* What are your favorite scents for love and romance?

Again, the 2^nd part is weird.  The scents I like are female, outdoors, and ocean.

* What are your favorite foods for love and romance?

What’s up with this “love and romance” portion???  I guess for a special night out I like steak.  Then again who doesn’t love steak.  I also love Sushi for a nice dinner.

* What are your favorite places for love and romance?

This sounds so cheesy… Um, the 96^th floor of the John Hancock building in Chicago is pretty sweet for romance, if you aren’t scared of heights.  Also Taco Cabano after 2am is a breeding ground for love and romance.  Ask anyone there.

* Would you describe your perfect love affair from the beginning to making a commitment to each other if I do the same?

No.  I don’t know you and this is a little weird via email and not in person.  Lame too…

* Would you describe your perfect romantic evening if I do the same?

Please see above

* What are the top three (3) places you would like to go together?

Since I don’t know you that well I’ll keep it simple with possible scenarios where it’s unlikely to end up hating you (and vice versa).

1) Dinner

F) A walk at Grapevine lake

21)  an evening of listening to some jazz at Button’s or Brooklyn Jazz club

* What are the top three (3) famous places would you like to see together?

If it turns out that we are compatible:

D) The Met in NYC

11) The coliseum in Rome

A) Tokyo

* What are the top three (3) amusement parks would you like to enjoy together?

In reverse order

3) Sesame Street land

2) Six Flags

1) Atlantis

* What are the top three (3) concerts, plays, or musicals would you like to see together?

Vans Warped Tour

Chris Botti

Taking Back Sunday

* What annual community events would you like to attend together?

Taste of Addison

St. Patty’s Day parade on Greenville

Oktoberfest

* What annual family events would you like to attend together?

Flietz family Memorial Day boat ride

Middleton Family camping trip

Jantoberfest at the Middleton’s

* Would you come up with three (3) usual ways we could spend a day or an evening together if I do the same?

Book a flight to some city neither of us has ever been to hang out for the day

Go on a Hog hunt in East Texas

Head to K town and sing bad karaoke

* Are there any projects or activities we can do together?

Attend a cooking class at central market

Go camping and then mountain biking

Scuba diving

Interview from ESPN.com

I was reading an interview on ESPN.com and figured answering the questions myself would be fun:

Your main fault:
BB: Going all or nothing; I get frustrated with people not giving it there all and when I go into something I do it 150% or I don’t care for it and refuse to do it.  Sports, relationships, or work are all like that.  I’m not very balanced

Your idea of happiness:
BB: Being on a body of water (lake or ocean) with friends relaxing and having a beer.  That’s when I’m the most happy.

Your idea of misery:
BE: My current job; it lends zero challenge and I’m surrounded by people above me that don’t care about the legality of the industry or the next month.  It’s all for today.

If not yourself, who would you want to be?
BE: That’s tough.  Someone more stable, probably one of my 3 friends that have it all together like RM, CF, or NM.  Those guys know what they want and poses the drive to accomplish it.

Your favorite food/drink:
BE: Mexican food and milk.  I think any Mexican food blows the doors off almost everything else.  I also love Milk, I drink a gallon a week and I live alone.  It’s great!

Hero/heroine you admire most:
BE: There really isn’t one, it’s a combo of people.- some famous and some everyday people

What you hate most:
BE: Dealing with people that have confidence but lack the competence to lead or give direction

The natural talent you'd like to be gifted with:
BE: Being good at mathematics, it’s always been a pain in the ass for me.

Your greatest fear:
BE: Dying alone as a failure.

Your greatest extravagance:
BE: Right now I’d have to say my car.  I definitely didn’t need a Benz, but I sure like it.

Most treasured possession:
BE: Friends- they motivate me regularly with even knowing it.

Austin's Great Night

I spent the last weekend in Austin for Donnie’s Bday.  This trip was different than the last few times I’ve been back.  In the past few years I’ve only gone back for various functions; mainly weddings.  It was always a rush to get in town and be at a certain place at a certain time throughout the whole weekend.  This weekend was set up as more play it by ear until Saturday night’s deal.  The weekend was great.  I was able to see a lot of different people that I haven’t seen in a long time.  I ate at Hula Hut, Wahoo’s, Texadelphia, Rudy’s and Dominic’s so the food was epic.  I also met someone that basically renewed my hope in some things. 

I’ve always held the belief you love someone for their faults.  I’m definitely attracted to people for their faults and not for the perceived perfection of them.  This past weekend I met someone unlike anyone that I’ve ever met before.  This girl was so much fun and had some a random thought pattern.  I felt like someone in a Zach Braff movie.  She cracked me up all night long, did the most hilarious things, broke into singing at one point, and told me a hilarious story regarding a tattoo that was supposed to be her mom’s birth year but she had the roman numerals wrong so it had 1903.  I’ve met a lot of girls in my time but this one blew my doors off.  I can’t explain it, but everything about her was comforting in a train wreck sort of way.  I really felt happy laughing and talking with her.  She was at least as random as I am and nothing about her screamed safe.  Aloof, impulsive, full of energy, and ridiculously beautiful.  I really only thought girls like that existed in movies made by guys who are awkwardly building their female leads’ image total recall style.  Since this wasn’t an indie film the night ended with a hug, humorous comment, and driving my friends home instead of staying up talking till the sun comes up.  I’m not expecting  this to turn into some romantic thing and I’d be surprised if I even saw her again.  But this chance meeting did give me some sort of hope that there are girls out there who aren’t cookie cutter and who wouldn’t make me hid and change who I am.  

Leaving Austin I felt bitter sweet.  I had a little too much with my friends that it made question why I’ve continued to live in Dallas.  The nights and people in Austin are just different and the amount of fun I had was a regular night in Austin but would have been top 5 in Dallas.  Something about the people in Austin are just better.  The women are incredibly beautiful, the douche level is significantly less than Dallas, and the people you meet are genuinely nice. 

Small Goals

I’m attempting to embark on a few changes that I think are well overdue.  Of course a lot of the things that I’d like to change or do are contingent on a few other things.  I’ve applied for a new job that would bring me back to the Dallas area and allow more free time to accomplish some of these items.  I hate that money is something that drives or enables us to complete certain things but it’s a fact these days.  If I get this or one of the other jobs that I’ve applied for I have a growing list of things that I’d like the increase in salary to help me accomplish:

1.       Travel- The world is a beautiful place and I want to see more of it.  I do want to travel the world, but I also want to see so many places here in the US.  I’ve had a lot of fun in Chicago and New York but I’d also like to spend some more time in Colorado.  Breckinridge was so much fun when I went snowboarding.  Oregon and Utah are other places that I’d love to go see.  Riding in Moab is definitely on my bucket list as well as the forests in Oregon.  Alaska and Hawaii are on my list as well.  Being born in Hawaii but not having any memories from it seems strange.  Besides the US I’ve got Tokyo, Munich, Rome, London, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, St. Petersburg and a host of other countries and locales. 

2.       Triathlon- I’ve done a sprint Tri back in my in-shape days and I’ve always wanted to do a full.  This year I had goals of doing a ½ marathon in early April, the Mud Run, MS150 bike ride, Warrior Dash, Hotter than Hell, and an adventure race or 2.  Tearing my calf muscle in late January caused a decent set back on a few of those activities.  The Rock and Roll half is almost certainly out.  Sunday I rode a very short 11 miles and felt pretty exhausted but overall good.  The first ½ was against the wind and it was pretty hard.  I haven’t ridden in awhile and with the injury I was not as prepared as I normally am.  I’m going to head out again tonight and try to get some more miles in.

I know those don’t seem like large goals but I look at them more like singles for RBI’s than a home run.  Along with our large goals such as home ownership, new vehicles, or a two week excursion to Italy you need to have little things that will make you happy and allow you to keep a hold of your dreams. 

Simple Update

I’ve got some high hopes and aspirations today.  I received a call from a recruiter who I’ve been talking to regarding some jobs.  A couple weeks ago I had a phone interview for a BA position at a Mortgage company.  I found that I’ve grown to miss the coding and analytics of the BA life and since I have a good amount of experience in Mortgage default this was a logical route to pursue.  The phone interview lasted about 40 minutes or so and I walked away feeling rather confident about it.  The next two weeks were followed by ice and snow here which basically shut the metro-plex down.  I spoke to Matthew, my recruiter, on Thursday.  He informed me they would like to have me do a second interview for the Operational Reporting Manager.  Since I didn’t even know this position was open (neither did he) this was excellent news. 

I’ve got the 2^nd interview today in about 45 minutes and I’ve been preparing ever since I heard the news yesterday.  It’s all information that I’m very familiar with and proficient at but I’ve had a few months away from it so I need some brush up.  I also like to put down my thoughts and accomplishments from previous jobs to get me thinking in the right mind set.  I’ve been conducting interviews for the past 5 years so I have a good basis for the questions people ask, but at the same time you need to be prepared for the curve ball or the one where you just can’t find any connection or common ground.  I really hope that I get this job, out of the 3 that are out there this one seems to be the steadiest and have the best overall package.  I don’t think I’ll hear an offer or denial today, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that early next week I’ll get some great news. 

After the job interview I have a dinner tonight.  We’re going to Pappacito’s as they are having an amazing special going right now.  The meal includes Lobster, Shrimp brochette, fajitas for two with all the fixings, and chocolate dipped strawberries for $44.95.  I love all of that so it’s just a great thing I secured a date to go get it.  I guess it’s a first date too.  We’ve been friends for awhile and made out once, but never a dinner with just the two of us.  We’ve been talking a lot more now too so I guess we’ll see how things turn out or if they even turn?

I don’t really have much else going on this weekend.  I’m going to try and cycle Saturday and Sunday.  I’m walking unassisted now but I can tell it’s still way too early to start running.  I have some tightness in my calf right now when I walk and Danielle said it would be take 6 months to get completely healed.  I think I’ll try to start jogging the 1^st week of March and see how it feels with a light jog.  I was told to get a calf sleeve for compression to help with the healing.  I’m not at all thrilled about wearing one of those around.

Snowday 2.0

Today is the second day the snow of the 2011 Winter season.  For day one I sat home bored out of my mind watching re-runs of Law and Order SVU.  It was pretty miserible.  I tore my calf muscle on 1/22 during an indoor soccer game so I'm not near as mobile as normal.  ESPN has a huge deal set up in Sundance Square that I would have liked to go see if I could walk normally.  Right now it's more of a limp with a cane for support.  I did deal with my boss in calling throughout the day seeing if I would be able to make it to any of my locations.  He's based out of Houston so he didn't seem to grasp how bad the roads and weather were.  Finally after the 3rd call I started sending him picture txt's and he quit calling. 

I came in today and the drive was a good 1.5 hour trip and I didn't get over 40 mph.  The bridges and overpasses are still iced over pretty bad.  As usual anytime the weather gets bad the retards come out.  I saw a guy flying past me in the left lane (which was totally iced over) in a Toyota Camry.  He got about 50 yards from me and spun out into a ditch.  Well played smart guy- haul ass in the one lane covered in ice.  I decided to come into the Weatherford location today and realized there isn't a reason for me to be here.  I had to park across the street and walk over.  The driveway to get to the store is covered in ice and on an incline, the parking lot is also covered in ice.  I've watched 3 accidents and a few other almost accidents.  I've seen countless people stuck and spinning their tires too.  There is a Mercury Grand Marquis that is currently stuck on the side in a ditch and the Oncor guy has called it quits on trying to come into the lot.  Looks like there is now an old dodge mini van stuck right where the Marquis was.  It's kind of funny to watch.  I see the mini van is able to reverse but he keeps trying to got forwards.  I'm not sure why he doesn't reverse to get out, but hey- it's not me...
I think I'm ging to close this bad boy down in a few hours.  There isn't a point for me to be here and the weather sure doesn't seem to be getting better.  With the weather as crappy as it is I'm sure the Houston folk will be bitching about me closing the store, but oh well.  Have a wonderful snow day kids! 

Re-Post: Mud Run 2010

Hey All,
Since the mud run is coming back around I'll re-post the blog about the 2010 mud run that Mel, Jerrod, and I did.

Ah, the mud run...  I had a lot of fun doing this event.  I had an idea of what to expect but it was a lot longer than what I had planned.  I'm very glad that I picked the right thing to wear, that was a BIG factory in making the event a lot less irritating than it could have been.  There was a great turnout and besides the little fuckers acting like want to be marines it was a blast.
The event started off great, we were all packed in and started about 15 min late.  That's not a big deal since most races always start late for one reason or another.  It was about 1.3 or 1.4 miles to the first obstacle.  That wasn't a straight 1.3 since the course was designed to be hard.  It was along the trinity off northside but you would run up the hills of the dyke and down, up and down the hills then a straight a way and some more up and down.  By the time we reached the first obstacle I was very ready for it.  Mel and Jerrod had passed me at this point.  I started off quick and then fizzled to a slow jog...  The first event was running up a dirt mound probably 10-12 feet high and then jumping into a huge pool of water at the bottom of it.  We waded through another  8 feet or so of water that about chest high and then climbed out.  I was wearing regular running shoes so I needed a lot of help getting some traction on the way up.  The mud was compacted and very slick so there wasn't an easy way up without help.  I loved it!
The next phase was about 7-8 obstacles of varying levels of mud and cold ass water.  Then there was the rope bridge.  A 20' pond of muddy cold water accessible by two ropes.  You started on one side and then had to traverse to the other side by holding your arms above your head holding a rope and balancing your feet  on another rope.  Having done this numerous times in the Ranger course at Benning it wasn't a big deal.  The little fucker's acting like Marines would swing the rope to try and make you fall.  But a 12 year old doesn't really have the upper body strength to shake my fat ass off the station.  After that there was a few logs that changed hight.  The goal was to run to the log and traverse it without missing a beat.  The best way to do this is to run at it, hit it with your body elongated and then roll over it.  It's easier than it sounds if you've done it before.  The last one was about 5' high so you did have to get some lift to clear it and I saw numerous people (mainly girls) having a great degree of difficulty with it.
The next few stations weren't that hard, just kind of messy.  Some low crawls through mud with covered canopies, running through mud, etc.  There was another run of probably a mile or so on concrete followed by the station that kicked my ass.  You went about a little less than waist deep through water that was about a football field's length.  This was a lot of work on your thighs and hip flexors.  The water wasn't deep enough to swim on your stomach through but too deep to run "high knee" though.  It really was a good burn.
After that a few other stations, crossing the trinity via a rope, running up the side of the trinity and then Jacob's ladder.  This was a wood ladder 15' high by about 10' wide.  There was a wood step about every 5' so I would stand on one, jump to the other and pull my self up.  The way down was about the same way; hold on to one and then drop to the other.  There was a padded mat at the bottom in case of an accident and I didn't see any people fall.  I did see a lot of good number of people bail on the station due to being frightened (Jerrod) of the height with various excuses (I don't think it'll hold me, it doesn't look stable, I'm a big vag, etc).
After that it was smooth sailing.  A few basic stations and then one wall to traverse.  It was 7' high and flat so the best way was to run, jump and pull yourself up.  There were a lot of people that couldn't get through this event due to being vertically challenged (Mel), but we can't hold that against them.  A couple rolls in the mud later and you're done.
Overall all the event was a lot of fun.  Mel and Jerrod beat me by about 8 min; it felt like they were days ahead of me though.  There was free beer afterwards by Coors light and Clo from the Russ Martin show MC'd the event.
Things I learned... Mel by far was the smartest of the 3 of us in her attire.  Running tights and a sports bra; it allowed her to dry quickly from the multiple water obstacles and kept her (semi) warm.  I wore some wick drying clothes and no socks with regular mizuno running shoes.  I thought by not wearing socks I would cut down on the chaffing from the water events but it just made things suck.  I had to take my shoes off twice since the running shoes let in small little pebbles from their mesh cooling system.  Next year I'll rock some trail running shoes for traction and pebble blockage.  I'm also going with some Underarmor coldgear.  It'll keep me warm(er) and provide the water drying properties I'm looking for.  Some people wore sunglasses and that was a big mistake.  Throughout the course there were numerous pairs littering it, both whole and broken.  While i'd prefer shades for the sun I'm going to continue to leave them at home.  I did wear a bandanna and it magically held through the whole thing.  It was a great event and I had a ton of fun, next year should be a blast!!!