Randomness

The Onion does Teach For America

2005-02-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

First, I love The Onion. Second, I am a TFA alum. Though this piece is a bit exaggerated, it is still funny:

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4107&n=3

PS - does anyone know the legality of posting links to other website???

Hunter S. Thompson Suicide

2005-02-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

A sad day indeed.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=762&e=1&u=/ap/20050221/ap_en_ot/obit_thompson

One of the funniest/most-bizarre things I ever read was H.S. Thompson interviewing Ali back in the 1960s. "Fear and Loathing" is also a good laugh, in it's own way...

Get off your butt and do something...

2005-02-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

Let the ranting begin.

If you are reading this, then chances are you are part of the lucky X% of the world that was born to in the US, in an "educated" household, of reasonable means (i.e.: middle class +)

When I sit back and really take time to think, I realize just how lucky I am. I got the damn TRIFECTA: 1) White 2) Male 3) In the USA. Add to that shit that my parents went to college, and I am a statistical outlier if you look at the global population. Despite all the shit I have gone through, I still know I am lucky.

If you are even pondering volunteering or giving some money or just want to have your mind opened-up a little bit, then I can't help but recommend taking a glance at the below.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/AmazingGrace_Kozol.html

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/SI_Kozol_StLouis.html

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/SI_Kozol_Chicago.html

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Third_World_US/SI_Kozol_Washington.html

Yeah, I know I am Kozol fan and I am biased, but the stuff he writes about is very real and is not exaggerated. Sorry if it makes you feel bad or guilty, but it's just reality of the country we live in.

I am so glad we are spending $87B+ per year on defense. Good plan.

Facts of Life

2005-02-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, I really am this cheesy. Yes, this is also on the wall above my desk. I hope it gives you a warm and fuzzy:
__________________________
1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.
2. At least 15 poeple in this world love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would every hate you is b/c they want to be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
5. Every night SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
6. You mean to the world to someone.
7. Without you, someone may not be living.
8. You are special and unique, in your own way.
9. Someone that you don't know even existis, loves you.
10. When you make the bigest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
11. When you think the world has turned it's back on you, take a look, you most likely turned your back on the world.
12. When you think that you have no chance at getting what you want, you probably won't get it. but if you believe in yourself, you probably sooner or later will get it.
13. Always remember complements you received, forget about the rude remarks.
14. Always tell someone how you feel, then they'll know.
15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they're great.

Interview Advice...

2005-02-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

NEVER walk into an interview for a job you do not really want and be in a shitty mood. This happenned to me today. It did not help that the person interviewing me was very senior and could run circles around me. Before I knew it, I had said at least one negative thing about every point on my resume.

To quote the interviewer, "In my 18 years of interviewing candidates, this is the most surpising and different interview I have ever had."

He did not mean that in a good way.

At least I can say I learned something today and have made an attempt to share it with the world. At best, I feel like an a-hole

2005-02-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Ivy League + MBA = ???

Gotta Love Maya Angelou

2005-02-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

Another quote posted above my desk. A good friend sent it to me on a card a few years ago. It still makes me smile whenever I take the time to read it. I like it b/c it sums-up my the past 5 years or so for me perfectly:
__________________________
Life offers us tickets to places wich we have not knowingly asked for.

Then it makes us pay the fare.

-Maya Angelou
__________________________

Makes me laugh and shake my head.

"The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley

2005-02-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

Someone put this on my door during my freshman year of college. I still have the same tattered printout taped above my desk. When things aren't going to well, it keeps me going:
__________________________
I awoke early, as I often did, just before the sunrise, to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt, in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.

As I approached, I sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the day, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish, and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach; they cannot return by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea." As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions behond my sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond my calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Sureley you cannot expect to make a differece." The youth paused briefly to consder my words, bent to pick up a starfish, and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me, the youth simply said, "I made a difference to that one."

It would, indeed, be a perfect day.
__________________________

Still raises the hairs on the back of my neck after all this time.

Probably not the best time to start this

2005-02-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

So, this is general warning: it is Valentine's Day 2005, it has been a tough day, an even worse past 9 months, and I am at home solo half-way into a bottle of wine.