tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47030309406186453092024-03-12T21:44:26.039-07:00Lorie and MannyUnearthing the functional, the objective, and the ridonculous in lifeThe Original Loriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15287014887154336752noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-63306350157102309612011-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:002011-06-27T10:42:27.349-07:006th month repentanceSo with the crushing pressures of school, work, bishopric, and baby, blogging or any form of journal entry has eluded me for the past 6 months. But I think there is still time to log back on here and add some of my personal ramblings. *Maybe* you can look for more frequent updates of the other blogs as well.<br />
<br />
Lest you think nothing has happened, here is the executive summary of January-June in the Camacho household:<br />
<br />
-January: bitter cold persists. We start weekly sports night at church, Manny reads A Death in the Family and takes one more class than he was supposed to in order to fit in a course on Energy Markets. Lorie leaves for Grandma's funeral and misses submitting a completed assignment by one day. The loving professor gives her a zero, docking off 10% of her final grade.<br />
<br />
-February: Emmy gets her MRI and becomes the superstar of the doctor's office. We explore downtown and go to IKEA for a low-key anniversary. Manny starts the nightmare of tax preparation. His dad comes to visit and while loving Clear Lake and slightly poo-pooing the Woodlands, is utterly disgusted with Galveston. We were blocked off from doing anything due to Mardi Gras.<br />
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-March: Spring is beautiful in Houston. Manny begins his first quarter quell of the year (this is the term I give to the 4 months out of the year where I am in charge of assigning speakers, talking in primary, etc. etc.), both of us get behind on school due to March Madness and Jimmer-mania, and Manny goes on a lightning-fast loading for work in SLC. It was neat to be able to see a temple shining from within refinery gates. We also finally discover what Three Wolf Moon was.<br />
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-April: since the Final Four (and MVP crowning) takes place in Houston, we are able to meet The Jimmer. We also take advantage of the beautfiul weather to bike the seawall in Galveston. Lorie's parents leave on a mission, and we help them clean out a storage unit, pack, and send them on their merry way. We are entrusted with taking care of their mail and home. Emmy starts crawling.<br />
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-May: Starting to heat up. Houston is caught in a major drought . School is finally over and the Energy Markets class, while still being possibly the greatest course Manny has taken, was still a huge burden on the family. Lorie finishes all classes except two, and moves to a full-time (part from home) schedule at work, with a significant bump in pay. Emmy starts eating and getting into everything imaginable. We fly out to Portland to visit J&K and attend Mike's wedding.<br />
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-June: here we are. Drought finally ended this week, and things are looking up. We are both in intense coursework over the summer. Lorie's will end soon. We will still try and walk together for graduation though. We had a cake/service auction in the ward to raise money for girls' camp. It was a sweet time.<br />
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Brings us to today. I'm studying for a major marketing exam tonight, but have found myself burned out and instead looking up #palindrome s on twitter. Some of my favorites:<br />
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Never odd or even<br />
<br />
SAIPPUAKIVIKAUPPIAS (Finnish word)<br />
<br />
Mr owl ate my metal worm<br />
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Devil never even lived<br />
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Go hang a salami. I'm a lasagna hog.<br />
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Ow, trollop! Pull a Gallup poll or two!mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-7133303837695107172011-06-24T07:00:00.001-07:002011-06-24T07:00:53.317-07:00Illegal Immigrants<div>New article in the Atlantic today talks about how Georgia's immigration bill is driving away workers (surprise!) and causing a lot of trouble for the farms.</div> <div> </div> <div><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/06/georgias-harsh-immigration-law-costs-millions-in-unharvested-crops/240774/">http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/06/georgias-harsh-immigration-law-costs-millions-in-unharvested-crops/240774/</a><br clear="all"> </div> <div>The economics seem solid behind this. Definitely a hot-button issue. Not sure if a president or legislature will ever get around to it unless something absolutely nuts happens.</div> <div><br>-- <br>--<br><br></div> mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-45394166231272920052010-08-12T06:20:00.001-07:002010-08-12T06:24:08.896-07:00Twitter Fail Message<div style="LINE-HEIGHT: 0px !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c3d9ff; MARGIN: 0px 2px; FONT-SIZE: 1px !important; PADDING-TOP: 1px"></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px 10px; WIDTH: 100%; FONT-FAMILY: sans-serif; OVERFLOW: auto"><h2 style="MARGIN: 0.25em 0px 0px"><br /> </h2><div style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.5em">via <a class="f" href="http://lifewithoutfries.blogspot.com/">life without fries</a> by daniel on 8/11/10</div><br style="DISPLAY: none">Well, this is a little too honest. When did twitter servers get an attitude?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtjl1R3oKsJ_RqVNS3HbmensPx8wyB7UsH4_pHe9L89-iRO1PEXs4wl7pLgGt0YZwSgU83A5KWe15vr6ySmrgOgUd4jY7Gqp10T8_4UBGAqOceEWeq2sJ9CpXTFNnAdyYINVPVkMBlCTH/s1600/twitter+fail.PNG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 184px" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtjl1R3oKsJ_RqVNS3HbmensPx8wyB7UsH4_pHe9L89-iRO1PEXs4wl7pLgGt0YZwSgU83A5KWe15vr6ySmrgOgUd4jY7Gqp10T8_4UBGAqOceEWeq2sJ9CpXTFNnAdyYINVPVkMBlCTH/s400/twitter+fail.PNG" /></a> <img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/14276782-4078940682809162030?l=lifewithoutfries.blogspot.com" width="1" height="1" /><br /></div><br /><div style="LINE-HEIGHT: 0px !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c3d9ff; MARGIN: 0px 2px; FONT-SIZE: 1px !important; PADDING-TOP: 1px"></div><div style="LINE-HEIGHT: 0px !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c3d9ff; MARGIN: 0px 1px; FONT-SIZE: 1px !important; PADDING-TOP: 1px"></div><div style="LINE-HEIGHT: 0px !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c3d9ff; MARGIN: 0px 2px; FONT-SIZE: 1px !important; PADDING-TOP: 1px"></div>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-11996192065467284192010-07-22T16:44:00.001-07:002010-07-22T16:44:52.195-07:00Happy day. Got my car antenna back...mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-46010500782540091072010-07-22T13:30:00.001-07:002010-07-22T13:30:59.059-07:00After four or five ping pongs in email, it's over.mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-86845219032181992132010-07-22T07:27:00.001-07:002010-07-22T07:27:25.616-07:00I love a family where all the siblings have different cousins.mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-13351985047192121962010-07-20T16:58:00.001-07:002010-07-20T16:58:26.602-07:00<a href="http://ping.fm/lSQOC">http://ping.fm/lSQOC</a>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-28734207418040692152010-07-20T08:42:00.001-07:002010-07-20T08:42:08.677-07:00read this today and thought you might enjoy...<div>He damages and often destroys families within the walls of their own homes. His strategy is to stir up <i>anger</i> between family members. Satan is the "father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with <i>anger,</i> one with another" (<span class="Scripture"><a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/3_ne/11/29#29">3 Ne. 11:29</a></span>; emphasis added). The verb <i>stir</i> sounds like a recipe for disaster: Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; continue stirring until thick; cool off; let feelings chill for several days; serve cold; lots of leftovers.</div> <div> </div> <div><span class="zr">Lynn G. Robbins, "Agency and Anger," <i>Ensign, </i>May 1998, 80</span><br clear="all"><br></div> mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-1420503698739281452010-07-20T07:06:00.001-07:002010-07-20T07:06:05.412-07:00Happy July. Here's a hundred degrees...Well it has been quite an exciting time for us here in Houston. The mosquitoes are launching a full scale attack and the heat is quite unbearable at times, but we continue onward day by day. After we returned exhausted from our trip, I realized that I had a midterm in one week (covering half of my class and 50% of the final grade).and I hadn't yet opened the book to look at the class material. To make things worse, the three hour exam was on my birthday. So those days were kind of a blur. Friday I stayed late at work and on Saturday (my birthday) I had to go in early to work instead of being able to study. Somehow, though, I got through it and by the afternoon I was ready to relax. <br> For dinner, we went to Dharma Cafe, a classy little restaurant downtown that had some of the most excellent food I've had - they make all of their noodles and blueberry scones in house, and you have to love a place like that, right?<br> On the way back, we talked about playing some game when we got home. So when we went upstairs to try the wii....I had a surprise party waiting for me! I really had no idea - I had plenty of signs but was just so distracted the week before. The party included karaoke and some passion fruit sorbet. Thanks guys for an amazing time.<br> Sid also remembered my birthday because one day many months ago at a dinner Lorie took his blackberry and added my birthday into his calendar.<br> Since then, things have been much more peaceful. Work is going better (no trips planned for a little while) and we have a good ward here. Lorie is getting big and ready to pop. We all had dinner at the country club tonight - prime rib with some horseradish sauce. Delicious, but not quite as good as the Tesco brand horseradish in the UK.<br clear="all"> <br>-- <br>Manny Camacho<br> mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-60844315415702293592010-07-20T06:43:00.001-07:002010-07-20T06:43:25.786-07:00Hello scholars....Amazing work for a low budget operation.<br /><br /><a href="http://ping.fm/kJEES">http://ping.fm/kJEES</a>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-556492964916806612010-06-04T08:02:00.001-07:002010-06-04T08:02:39.981-07:00Redonkulous - used since 1980?http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/a-freakonomics-quiz-on-redonkulous-new-words/mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-66210802681385898262010-04-27T18:39:00.000-07:002010-04-27T19:00:44.473-07:00turkey in the strawOne of the great things about living in Texas is that you run into people everyday - at the checkout line in the store, at church, at the swap meet - who have the most awesome Southern accents and demeanor. Our ultrasound technician is one of these. We are so happy to see her every time we meet and we end up chatting with her at length very time. Well, this time we came determined to find out the sex of our baby. Every time the technician tried to catch an image, baby would roll around and fold its legs. Like it knew we were watching. Very modest. The technician kept saying "You have a little turkey here!" "You're just a turkey!" Hilarity ensued. Eventually we caught her, and that's right, we are having a girl! So I guess she is a hen.mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-1477811633151584232010-04-12T18:54:00.000-07:002010-04-12T18:55:52.317-07:00Banking meets Broadway<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10864430&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=10864430&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10864430">Bet Against The American Dream</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3572793">Planet Money</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />At least it's better than <span style="font-style:italic;">Love Never Dies.</span>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-19682959603046640692010-03-30T17:33:00.001-07:002010-03-30T17:33:57.896-07:00SederificHappy Passover everyone!<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Og1pdFGMUMg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Og1pdFGMUMg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-34761508527239165412010-03-29T07:25:00.000-07:002010-03-29T07:37:33.416-07:00It's not good when an economist says "yikes."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3e3uIsfrndN8CvAWHu1_gDhZzF9FIwZnowU5mOkE_ps7kbS1PKSEmRfv2d_fbcCr1P2IQnehI01Asqiq7HneIWkaWsj45QA-g4tz2u2qF2zp9sBY-1K8S-qB09WX0xB3s3f6562kOho/s1600/ED-AJ638A_laffe_NS_20090609175213.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454062768836756818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 370px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3e3uIsfrndN8CvAWHu1_gDhZzF9FIwZnowU5mOkE_ps7kbS1PKSEmRfv2d_fbcCr1P2IQnehI01Asqiq7HneIWkaWsj45QA-g4tz2u2qF2zp9sBY-1K8S-qB09WX0xB3s3f6562kOho/s400/ED-AJ638A_laffe_NS_20090609175213.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Looking through an old pile of Wall Street Journals that were originally intended for perfunctory reading, I came across this chart in <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124458888993599879.html">this article</a> while studying for a paper. While I truly believe that the actions of the Fed and government up to this point have been the right ones, it will be interesting to see if both can change course once expansion starts again. History shows they probably can't. History also shows that also probably means some gloomy hyperinflation. </div><div> </div>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-39772241226000238332010-03-02T07:45:00.000-08:002010-03-02T07:49:16.633-08:00For church history nerdsHere is an interesting article (albeit long) about the history of Mormon hymns and their selection. It would be a blast to be on that committee....<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifeongoldplates.com/2010/03/hicks-how-to-make-and-unmake-mormon.html">http://www.lifeongoldplates.com/2010/03/hicks-how-to-make-and-unmake-mormon.html</a><br /><br />My favorite part: when the committe justified their deletions in the 1975 edition. They called Who's on the Lords Side, Who: “amateurish, jingoist, and self-congratulatory, with music that sounds like a cheap London dance hall tune.”mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-60791823093523059152010-01-14T17:24:00.000-08:002010-01-14T17:36:45.047-08:00Our Christmas PresentI usually don't brag about my presents, but this year Lorie got me a piece of plastic with some pee on it.<br /><br />And I couldn't be happier!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcQp_sRCu6_tXOmg47PNSbRYkT5_HyIvZ6T3HVcT9WBhpH1CzkknHTK0GaMS1Z8-rtzgaOVUJMrkzTTqtqfTRfqBlKNHy0094ScA6isGiCZDVc7G2e0nQpVcaLIL9TaVSDFudC4EUHeU/s1600-h/100_1099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcQp_sRCu6_tXOmg47PNSbRYkT5_HyIvZ6T3HVcT9WBhpH1CzkknHTK0GaMS1Z8-rtzgaOVUJMrkzTTqtqfTRfqBlKNHy0094ScA6isGiCZDVc7G2e0nQpVcaLIL9TaVSDFudC4EUHeU/s400/100_1099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426774306369916130" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/Users/Manny/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-86001661440223983282009-12-28T07:44:00.001-08:002009-12-28T07:53:06.280-08:00I know it's belated....But this one is worth it. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a prosperous new year to everyone!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420315219489898690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimRLrwCGmFGgOSfZxxWcpnDn1pUHXr1jKRx2S5aNNgqPQEgULOwNmLBowi1nD2wFp678vu0Z2R4hzajQuu3EreuDuHnnXJl00poUpHslJvKW7h7apgkfUWPB5_lkbitEtGLB_6Zxz_FUQ/s400/Jessica_santa.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Seriously, though, it has been a great year full of blessings and new experiences. In church Lorie arranged a beautiful hymn using the children's song "Stars were Gleaming" and an Italian Hymn based on the text of Psalm 100. We sang it and there was a wonderful spirit there. It reminded me of the great love that our Heavenly Father has for us, the guidance he has given our lives this year, and how grateful we are for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.<br /></div><div>2010 will be an amazing year too. Just watch...</div>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-22314457655627427732009-12-21T07:11:00.000-08:002009-12-21T07:16:36.306-08:00um...ok...<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19067777">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19067777</a><br /><br />Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a catfish?<br /><br />A: One is a slimy, bottom dwelling, scum sucker. The other is a fish.mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-30804117821092056262009-12-04T08:09:00.000-08:002009-12-04T08:15:31.817-08:00'sno jokeHouston broke a record today. Today is the earliest day in the year (for all of recorded history) that houston has had buckets of snow. Last year we made a snowman and gave him a cowboy hat and a sniper rifle. This year...well, the novelty is starting to wear off. But hey, I guess it beats hurricanes. And we'll be back up to the 60's by Monday. Now to figure out where that ice scraper's been hiding...mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-1659270931068442282009-12-02T10:11:00.000-08:002009-12-02T10:29:11.587-08:00USB garbageRetro baby! At the height of ridonculousness (although they freely admit what they are doing), an enterprising company has come out with the <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/c208/">USB pet rock.</a> I really want to know how many they sell. I would almost be willing to pay to know. Don't say I didn't warn you.<br /><br />Oh, and I was wondering why I've been seeing these disclosures at the bottom of all the blogs I follow. Apparently you can now be <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/33197491">fined up to $11,000 </a>for not disclosing ties to marketers! So no, I have no ties to anyone from whatever company the Pet Rock company is, other than the fact that I am sometimes jealous of the guy who came up with such a profitable an idea. At other times, I do not know how I would live with myself.mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-7709693435842517252009-12-01T10:13:00.000-08:002009-12-01T11:33:28.154-08:00DestinySomewhere for free I acquired a calendar of motivational pictures and phrases that I have kept at my office. It has been interesting through the months to see the phrases coincide with my life. When I needed to rely on coworkers and stretch to meet my goals, it would be a month of 'Teamwork', and so on throughout the year. <br /><br />December is 'Destiny' and the phrase is, "You decide your own direction, so make your journey one you'd want to read about." This is perfect for me as I just finished crossing some major milestones in my life. I am ready for a change. I am ready for the next obstacle that life is sure to present me. I want to rise to the challenge and overcome what faces me. <br /><br />Manny and I watched "Paycheck" over the Thanksgiving holiday. That movie always reminds me that seeing our future is NOT how life is meant to be lived. Struggling to mold ourselves into something is what life is all about. It is up to us to decide what we want to be. So before the break was over, I cut my hair shorter than I have in the last 20 years and smiled while the pieces feel to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ground</span>, never looking back. This year is going to be a good one.Loriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13100671608364539047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-67097575584081306292009-11-24T06:15:00.000-08:002009-11-24T06:25:34.552-08:00Oh....possumThe stairwell that I usually take up to my office (gotta get that morning exercise in) was blocked off this morning, with a huge metal grate that said "the bathrooms are closed for maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience." "What a curious way to block the bathroom," I thought. I looked around to see what was going on and peeked up into the stairwell. Didn't find anything. When I had the grate half removed, I looked over in the corner and saw a huge possum! For those of you not familiar with the south, possums (short for opossums) look like huge multicolored rats. And they smell. And they might have rabies.<br /><br />Anyway, I pushed the grate back, ran away, found some friends, and came back. There was a lady from Houston dept. of Wildlife Management (they actually share the building with us) with gloves and a net. She scooped the critter up, and carried him outside to who knows where. Maybe under my car. He bit her hand in the process.<br /><br />For a clear image of what went on, here is part of the wikipedia article on <em>opossum: </em><br /><em></em><br /><em>When threatened or harmed, they will "<a class="extiw" title="wikt:play possum" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/play_possum">play possum</a>", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. The lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the <a title="Anal glands" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anal_glands">anal glands</a>. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. The animal will regain consciousness after a period of minutes or hours and escape.</em><br /><em></em><br />Yee-haw.<br /><em></em>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-68987841641541207712009-11-13T11:01:00.000-08:002009-11-13T11:18:43.152-08:00Expense reportsThe irs has just hired thousands of new employees to raise more money for the government...specifically, investigating certain areas for compliance, including expense reports. Frankly I never did understand the system: If you spend $900 on a client for a business meeting it is cool but if you lost your receipt for getting yourself a sandwich then it is trouble city. At least at my company it always was. Anyway, now receipts are always required so instead of the sandwich, it is the two Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers you got at Wendy's that will get you into trouble.<br /><div></div><br /><div>Apparently (according to Cialdini's "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion") there is a correlation between food and a party's compliance. That's why legislators are swayed over meals and fund-rasiers involve plenty of food. Just like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_conditioning">Pavlov's dogs</a>, people will associate the pleasant feeling with the person across the table from them, instead of the food, and trick themselves into compliance. </div><div> </div><div>Maybe that's also why people always propose over fancy dinners.</div><div> </div><div> </div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2cW27lFGEbWiQY9CfXRxElrhtqRVoRDtZ265caEaloNkFtTvtTzkw3t2jnm5pOqxMLFq5OCOuh3zZ_CBdltHZc4U2h93vYbbXAtfxCh_UNzdzfDQ0WW3u4l7IniZlsCZRP_B90_4k74/s1600-h/300527_full.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403669524752393218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2cW27lFGEbWiQY9CfXRxElrhtqRVoRDtZ265caEaloNkFtTvtTzkw3t2jnm5pOqxMLFq5OCOuh3zZ_CBdltHZc4U2h93vYbbXAtfxCh_UNzdzfDQ0WW3u4l7IniZlsCZRP_B90_4k74/s400/300527_full.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4703030940618645309.post-87966721594676542162009-11-03T10:22:00.000-08:002009-11-04T17:18:45.942-08:00The first words ever stored on a hard drive were..."This has been a day of solid <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">achievement</span>."<br /><br /><br />While you're pondering this, here is a picture of our politicians hard at work:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YRlWA9O6F_LwMGpTFN3ELb_h8F07ETacGPJacKq5R1UYP750U0JzGkwA7SA8srGqh6bB26dIGt3o4hkZh3TBEXjQeALQRwqhg2Pos7LtjVg8YWnX7weOARhSYuGcE6hUJ-rurI-5Lqw/s1600-h/solitaire-500.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399950059729386386" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 400px; height: 251px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YRlWA9O6F_LwMGpTFN3ELb_h8F07ETacGPJacKq5R1UYP750U0JzGkwA7SA8srGqh6bB26dIGt3o4hkZh3TBEXjQeALQRwqhg2Pos7LtjVg8YWnX7weOARhSYuGcE6hUJ-rurI-5Lqw/s400/solitaire-500.jpg" border="0" /></a><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>mannymachohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06828862055173571258noreply@blogger.com0