Thursday, February 28, 2008
I thought I had seen it all...
but this one just takes the cake! And if you look closely - they have a mini pool in the front yard too!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Bathroom Etiquette
Yes this is in some ways a typical post for me. But really, you may be a little surprised by what I say. But I have a bone to pick, cause this seems to be happening to me a lot lately. And this is really directed more to women than it is to men. Cause I know men don't care as much. They'll take a dump in a gas station bathroom and not use any toilet paper when sitting on the seat for all they care.
SO you know when you have to go to the bathroom in a public place, you enter and the first thing you think of is - which stall am I going to enter. For small places that have one to three stalls - this really is a no brainer on the selection. And for women a non written rule is that you pick one that allows a separation between you and the next party - at least that is the ideal scenario.
In my office bathroom - there are 10 - stalls. yes ...... I said 10. So you would think this should be a non issue. I mean, there are only like 10 girls on the whole floor. And well I sort of have an issue going poop in a public bathroom - I would rather hold it if I can't go in private - cause really, are any one of us looking to share that kind of moment with another person? I think not. But it is part of nature and we all do it.
So with that said there is an unwritten rule that if you walk into a bathroom with many stalls, you find one that is not right next to someone else. So I ask you now, if you are the second person coming into a bathroom - what on earth would make you think to yourself......hmmm I think I am going to enter the stall RIGHT NEXT TO SOMEONE WHO IS POOPING when there are 7 other better options. Seriously - what is the rationale behind this??? Do people enjoy sitting 2 feet from someone else during a private and disgusting moment separated only by a one inch piece of metal when they are in a space of ohhhhh 600 sq feet?
What on earth could possibly propel someone to either think or not think about this when using the john? And then you have the ridiculous people that do this only to have you realize - oh....I guess we are having a pooping moment together. Are you for real???? I don't want to sit anywhere near someone else doing that - so why on earth would someone want to come sit near you when they can have a much bigger space ALL TO THEMSELVES??? This is not supposed to be a public bonding thing - it is a private matter. If anyone has some insight into this - please let me know. Because I have racked my brain trying to figure it out and yet it just befuddles me.
One Ex: Yesterday, I had a girl come in the bathroom, talking on her cell phone (to a guy cause I could hear his voice through the phone), only to walk down past most of the stalls and try to actually ENTER my stall. And people, it's really easy to tell if someone is in the stall or not by the door being CLOSED. So she picks the stall NEXT TO MINE. Then she proceeds to continue talking and peeing - really loud too. Now she at some point also spoke in a different language so this might be where she was coming from on the toilet etiquette issue (3rd world countries have different standards I know - but who brings their cell phone into a public (corporate) bathroom for a conversation while you are having a moment???
Can you feel my woe here?
SO you know when you have to go to the bathroom in a public place, you enter and the first thing you think of is - which stall am I going to enter. For small places that have one to three stalls - this really is a no brainer on the selection. And for women a non written rule is that you pick one that allows a separation between you and the next party - at least that is the ideal scenario.
In my office bathroom - there are 10 - stalls. yes ...... I said 10. So you would think this should be a non issue. I mean, there are only like 10 girls on the whole floor. And well I sort of have an issue going poop in a public bathroom - I would rather hold it if I can't go in private - cause really, are any one of us looking to share that kind of moment with another person? I think not. But it is part of nature and we all do it.
So with that said there is an unwritten rule that if you walk into a bathroom with many stalls, you find one that is not right next to someone else. So I ask you now, if you are the second person coming into a bathroom - what on earth would make you think to yourself......hmmm I think I am going to enter the stall RIGHT NEXT TO SOMEONE WHO IS POOPING when there are 7 other better options. Seriously - what is the rationale behind this??? Do people enjoy sitting 2 feet from someone else during a private and disgusting moment separated only by a one inch piece of metal when they are in a space of ohhhhh 600 sq feet?
What on earth could possibly propel someone to either think or not think about this when using the john? And then you have the ridiculous people that do this only to have you realize - oh....I guess we are having a pooping moment together. Are you for real???? I don't want to sit anywhere near someone else doing that - so why on earth would someone want to come sit near you when they can have a much bigger space ALL TO THEMSELVES??? This is not supposed to be a public bonding thing - it is a private matter. If anyone has some insight into this - please let me know. Because I have racked my brain trying to figure it out and yet it just befuddles me.
One Ex: Yesterday, I had a girl come in the bathroom, talking on her cell phone (to a guy cause I could hear his voice through the phone), only to walk down past most of the stalls and try to actually ENTER my stall. And people, it's really easy to tell if someone is in the stall or not by the door being CLOSED. So she picks the stall NEXT TO MINE. Then she proceeds to continue talking and peeing - really loud too. Now she at some point also spoke in a different language so this might be where she was coming from on the toilet etiquette issue (3rd world countries have different standards I know - but who brings their cell phone into a public (corporate) bathroom for a conversation while you are having a moment???
Can you feel my woe here?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Attitude
As I am cleaning out copious amounts of folders, papers and the like from a multitude of offices around here in this great empty space in anticipation of our move over the next couple of days, I came across this piece of paper with insightful words that I felt was worthy of sharing....
Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifted ability, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace from that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and this string is Attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....we are in charge of our Attitudes.
-Charles Swindoll
Attitude
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gifted ability, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace from that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and this string is Attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you....we are in charge of our Attitudes.
-Charles Swindoll
Friday, February 15, 2008
Why Valentine's Day is Special to Me
So most people would think this is a no brainer. It's Valentine's Day - you get to spend time with your honey, you get some flowers, a card and dinner. Well yes those are all great things and I do love that aspect. But Valentine's Day holds a trully deeper meaning for me. And I can sum it up with the phrase from my mother's V Card "Its You and Me Day".
10 years ago from yesterday was the first time I spoke with my biological mother Lori. Most of you know I was adopted. It was the first time we were reunited after almost 21 years of separation. I remember coming home from a rugby match to find a message from my mom Susan left by my roommate. It said, your mom called, she got in touch with your biological grandmother. I had gone from telling my mother I needed to know and was ready a month and a half before, to all of a sudden it was close. I called and she told me she just got off the phone with my mother (that was a weird feeling when she said it) and said she would call me after 4:30. The reality that I had gone from - I'm going to have to hire a lawyer to figure this out to oh my god my mother is going to call me was quite the speeding bullet. I couldn't back out now. My mother couldn't wait however and we talked for 4 hours, which was the beginning of a fresh perspective for me.
It was a reunion that had been long in the making and one that I am so glad I went through with. You can't possibly understand what it is like to grapple with feelings of should I or should I not find this person. What the inherent outcomes you will find, are unknown at the time and you can only hope for the best, and yet prepare yourself for the worst. Most of you have no idea what it truly is like to not know where you come from. Who you look like, why you do certain things - that are uncharacteristic from your adopted family members. The idea that there is another family out there that you almost lived your life with, can be quite the surreal experience. Especially when you do finally meet them.
Growing up I would always look at my friends and their parents and try to see where they got features from or even their attitudes. And if you think that finding your biological family only deals with you and your feelings - you are wrong. You have your existing family and their feelings to think about. I remember my brother feeling scared he was going to lose his sister and the relationship we had. I remember my stepdad yelling at me 10 years ago that this was my family and I need to just leave it be. And that I was only hurting my mother by going this route. I will leave many a choice words towards him about this subject alone, but I am really glad I did not pay attention to him. However, it was an element that I dealt with for a long time - how would my family handle this? How was I going to handle my family with this?
In the end, finding my birth mother has brought me peace and clarity. It has been what I needed in order to feel ok about myself and who I am. I have a greater understanding of the nature vs nurture breakdown within my own being. But in moving forward with my quest to find my mother, it was marred with all sorts of internal torment that one usually never thinks about. You have trepidation, anger, hurt, confusion, sadness, anxiety, remorse, fear. All things that propel you to satisfy a need you feel you must face. But the biggest feeling you must grapple with in this quest...is rejection. Rejection before you have every been rejected and being able to cope with that concept in the event that is what happens. It's a difficult thing to do however. But when I finally got to that point - I knew I was ready.
In the end for me, it was all worth it. But there are many adopted children don't feel that need. I feel that if I had a much more stable and loving environment growing up, I would have not felt this innate desire to find my mystery life. But I am glad that I was strong enough to do it. I have met many adopted people whoes eyes light up when they hear my story but they tell me they are too afraid to do it. It's in these moments I really have felt a desire to write a book. I probably will at some point - the question is when. I actually would like to write several books - a children's book and an adult book - for people to grapple with both sides.
Yesterday was my mom and I's 10th anniversary, and every year we celebrate it like an anniversary. It was our time and our moment. And Valentine's Day will forever hold a special place in my life because of it.
10 years ago from yesterday was the first time I spoke with my biological mother Lori. Most of you know I was adopted. It was the first time we were reunited after almost 21 years of separation. I remember coming home from a rugby match to find a message from my mom Susan left by my roommate. It said, your mom called, she got in touch with your biological grandmother. I had gone from telling my mother I needed to know and was ready a month and a half before, to all of a sudden it was close. I called and she told me she just got off the phone with my mother (that was a weird feeling when she said it) and said she would call me after 4:30. The reality that I had gone from - I'm going to have to hire a lawyer to figure this out to oh my god my mother is going to call me was quite the speeding bullet. I couldn't back out now. My mother couldn't wait however and we talked for 4 hours, which was the beginning of a fresh perspective for me.
It was a reunion that had been long in the making and one that I am so glad I went through with. You can't possibly understand what it is like to grapple with feelings of should I or should I not find this person. What the inherent outcomes you will find, are unknown at the time and you can only hope for the best, and yet prepare yourself for the worst. Most of you have no idea what it truly is like to not know where you come from. Who you look like, why you do certain things - that are uncharacteristic from your adopted family members. The idea that there is another family out there that you almost lived your life with, can be quite the surreal experience. Especially when you do finally meet them.
Growing up I would always look at my friends and their parents and try to see where they got features from or even their attitudes. And if you think that finding your biological family only deals with you and your feelings - you are wrong. You have your existing family and their feelings to think about. I remember my brother feeling scared he was going to lose his sister and the relationship we had. I remember my stepdad yelling at me 10 years ago that this was my family and I need to just leave it be. And that I was only hurting my mother by going this route. I will leave many a choice words towards him about this subject alone, but I am really glad I did not pay attention to him. However, it was an element that I dealt with for a long time - how would my family handle this? How was I going to handle my family with this?
In the end, finding my birth mother has brought me peace and clarity. It has been what I needed in order to feel ok about myself and who I am. I have a greater understanding of the nature vs nurture breakdown within my own being. But in moving forward with my quest to find my mother, it was marred with all sorts of internal torment that one usually never thinks about. You have trepidation, anger, hurt, confusion, sadness, anxiety, remorse, fear. All things that propel you to satisfy a need you feel you must face. But the biggest feeling you must grapple with in this quest...is rejection. Rejection before you have every been rejected and being able to cope with that concept in the event that is what happens. It's a difficult thing to do however. But when I finally got to that point - I knew I was ready.
In the end for me, it was all worth it. But there are many adopted children don't feel that need. I feel that if I had a much more stable and loving environment growing up, I would have not felt this innate desire to find my mystery life. But I am glad that I was strong enough to do it. I have met many adopted people whoes eyes light up when they hear my story but they tell me they are too afraid to do it. It's in these moments I really have felt a desire to write a book. I probably will at some point - the question is when. I actually would like to write several books - a children's book and an adult book - for people to grapple with both sides.
Yesterday was my mom and I's 10th anniversary, and every year we celebrate it like an anniversary. It was our time and our moment. And Valentine's Day will forever hold a special place in my life because of it.
Monday, February 11, 2008
He's only 20 yrs old - I've got 15 more years to drool
Because I just love to share.....here he is back in Heerenveen during training - about the size of my hometown Rolla. Video below is after his flight back to Holland after the US Mexico game and right before his game with PSV - leaders in the Eredivisie and whom Heerenveen tied this last weekend (1-1) with a Michael Bradley goal that pushed them to a 4 way tie for 2nd but int he lead nonetheless.
Dutch Eredivisie Standings - 2007/08
GP W D L GS GA W D L GS GA W D L GS GA GD P
1 PSV Eindhoven 24 16 5 3 51 18 9 2 1 31 10 7 3 2 20 8 33 53
2 Heerenveen 24 13 5 6 64 29 6 3 3 40 16 7 2 3 24 13 35 44
3 Ajax 24 12 8 4 61 33 7 3 2 34 15 5 5 2 27 18 28 44
4 Feyenoord 24 13 5 6 44 24 8 3 1 28 7 5 2 5 16 17 20 44
5 NAC Breda 24 13 5 6 30 26 5 3 4 13 15 8 2 2 17 11 4 44
Dutch Eredivisie Top Scorers - 2007/08
Rank Player Team Goals
1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Ajax Amsterdam 23
2 Blaise N'Kufo Twente Enschede 18
3 Robin Nelisse FC Utrecht 14
4 Roy Makaay Feyenoord Rotterdam 13
Michael Bradley Heerenveen 13
HE'S A MIDFIELDER TOO!
Wait - there's more!!!
From two weeks ago..
Hold on - I'm not done yet!!!
As of this weekend I am the proud owner of
- a Heerenveen jersey - with 13 autographs - not sure who they are yet but will see if I can make them out.
- An autographed pic of Michael Bradley
Now let me tell you something - you have no idea how hard it was just to get ANY Heerenveen jersey. I even looked on foreign shops sites that I had to use Google translation tools to translate to English. And all jerseys either did not exist or were SOLD OUT. So the fact I got one for the price I did, plus it is autographed - I feel like a lottery winner! Now Michael is most likely on his way out to a bigger club at the end of the season - but that is ok.
And as to the picture - you can't find a Michael Bradley autograph ANYWHERE - so another score! And for pretty cheap too. So Michael Bradley will get a place next to Kasey Keller and Paul Scholes in my house.
Dutch Eredivisie Standings - 2007/08
GP W D L GS GA W D L GS GA W D L GS GA GD P
1 PSV Eindhoven 24 16 5 3 51 18 9 2 1 31 10 7 3 2 20 8 33 53
2 Heerenveen 24 13 5 6 64 29 6 3 3 40 16 7 2 3 24 13 35 44
3 Ajax 24 12 8 4 61 33 7 3 2 34 15 5 5 2 27 18 28 44
4 Feyenoord 24 13 5 6 44 24 8 3 1 28 7 5 2 5 16 17 20 44
5 NAC Breda 24 13 5 6 30 26 5 3 4 13 15 8 2 2 17 11 4 44
Dutch Eredivisie Top Scorers - 2007/08
Rank Player Team Goals
1 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar Ajax Amsterdam 23
2 Blaise N'Kufo Twente Enschede 18
3 Robin Nelisse FC Utrecht 14
4 Roy Makaay Feyenoord Rotterdam 13
Michael Bradley Heerenveen 13
HE'S A MIDFIELDER TOO!
Wait - there's more!!!
From two weeks ago..
Hold on - I'm not done yet!!!
As of this weekend I am the proud owner of
- a Heerenveen jersey - with 13 autographs - not sure who they are yet but will see if I can make them out.
- An autographed pic of Michael Bradley
Now let me tell you something - you have no idea how hard it was just to get ANY Heerenveen jersey. I even looked on foreign shops sites that I had to use Google translation tools to translate to English. And all jerseys either did not exist or were SOLD OUT. So the fact I got one for the price I did, plus it is autographed - I feel like a lottery winner! Now Michael is most likely on his way out to a bigger club at the end of the season - but that is ok.
And as to the picture - you can't find a Michael Bradley autograph ANYWHERE - so another score! And for pretty cheap too. So Michael Bradley will get a place next to Kasey Keller and Paul Scholes in my house.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Quick Follow Up
For anyone who disagreed with me on a previous post relating to a HS girls BB game blowout, here is some extra facts.
The team in question was ranked 3rd in the state for 3A.
The team has been undefeated in both league and post season play this season.
The coach served a two-game suspension for his part in an eye-opening, 112-16 rout of Evergreen on Jan. 8.
I think it is crap that the coach was suspended but whatever. Good luck to his team and I hope they win it all.
The team in question was ranked 3rd in the state for 3A.
The team has been undefeated in both league and post season play this season.
The coach served a two-game suspension for his part in an eye-opening, 112-16 rout of Evergreen on Jan. 8.
I think it is crap that the coach was suspended but whatever. Good luck to his team and I hope they win it all.
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