School:  Got my Personal Statement done for UW TMMBA (Technology Managment) tonight.  Will send it in tomorrow--it's the last item needed to complete my application.  Then, interview, admission decision, and if all goes well, time to float the tuition deposit.

Work:  Going to Montreal August 10-15 to do a cost reduction exercise at our Canadian plant.  It's one of the few I've never visited, so I'm excited.  Had some correspondence with the local SCA group:  there's a practise on Tuesday night, and I'm planning to bring my gear and play.  Will be week after Pennsic, so may be spotty attendence.  Fun anyway.  Also on the verge of finalizing a strategic sourcing decision I've been working on since I got the job 1 1/2 years ago.  If it comes through, it will be Major.

Move:  Plans are forming for the move into Grandma's house.  Brother-in-law Lord Stefan Hlamandi--now 20 years old and in a rock band--is supposed to move out in the next few weeks so we can start moving in.  Great location in Madison near Arboretum, but tough to move after so many years here.  Can't sell:  no lookers.  Rent it out? Maybe.  Still much uncertainty.

Workout:  Ran 5 treadmill miles in 45 minutes on Friday.  Training is "on track" for the 1/2 marathon in November.  Would LOVE to parlay that into meeting my goal of running 10 miles in armor sometime in December.  I have a dream of doing laps, and stopping each time around for a fight.  Maybe get sponsorships for charity?  Anyone with me?  Also keeping track of juggle practise time.  Up to 2.5 hours (toward my 60 hour goal) so far, and marked improvement.  Side benefit:  J is practicing with me--getting good at 2 balls, and doing some 1 club passing practice too.  He gets frustrated easily, but it's still good to be out of doors with him.  A just plays with the clubs, and occasionally throws apples at me.  That's OK too.  Looking forward to regional practice tomorrow night.

 

I wonder how many diverse uses for urine could be documented......Do you smell an Ithra class coming?  (would they call it the Urinary Track? ) 

Inspired by  fragmentsofnim   and   not_justagirl

 
Knacked from trolleypup

Fun birthday!

"Salary is highly competitive. Grist offers good benefits, the opportunity to play a crucial role in an environmental media organization, and a friendly, fun workplace. (When was the last time milk came out of your nose at work? We’re just saying.) "

Development Director, anyone?

As a guy in the market for a house, I found this link hilarious. (Thanks to ursa_m1n0r)

When the tang on my dagger was two inches too short, Mishka welded an extension for me.

When I was lonely at the Merc, Mischka showed me his portfolio.

When I wanted to learn to forge, Mischka gave me my first lessons.

Mischka, you strove for perfection in all you did--metal work of course, but also photography, drumming, fighting, even horticulture.  So many feel your loss, because you gave so much of yourself.

You lived in an artist's tempest--a blaze of intensity.

May those you touched carry that flame in their memory always. 


"Oseh shalom bim'romav.  Hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael.  Hu ya'aseh shalom."

May the one who makes peace in the heavens, grant peace to us and to all our people.

Many, many thanks to alaron03 for help with organizing the basement last night.

We worked for almost 4 hours at it, and she kept me moving right along--even found a place to pack my entire childhood Bot's dot collection!


Will it ever stop?  Probably not.  Good thing I like it this way.

Congratulations to Owain and Wren!  The worst thing about staying home was missing that victory. 

Yipee!

Sometimes, there's a very soft spot in my heart for my birth state.

 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gaymarriage16-2008may16,1,4027698.story

(Thanks to tablesaw for the link)

Exciting day planned tomorrow.  Taking a vacation day to get stuff done.

Starts with phone interview for the Cornell-Queen's EMBA program (http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/academic/cqemba/) at 9:00. 
I'm all a-twitter!

The window washer should be here soon after - inside and out - never hired a window washer before!

I spent an hour with the weed wacker tonight - tomorrow:  rake the offal, and get the pallets out of the ditch.

Then in the heat of the day, I'll spend some hours cleaning the basement.  Garbage, arrange the shop, garbage, and load the trailer with garbage!  Maybe even a dump run.

Be home for A at 1:30, then pick up J (back from 5th grade camp!) at 2:00.

Will there be any left for PdL practice?  (Issy, if you come, be sure to bring your gear just in case!).

Going to be a grand day!

Hooray!  I've been accepted to the MBA program at BGI!

Drat!  They won't be accredited for at least a year, so my company won't pay.

At least I can defer enrollment until Fall 2009 and see where they stand in a year...and whether something better comes along!

It's good to be accepted and have a fall-back plan, at least.

www.bgiedu.org

http://easywebbers.com/2006/12/10/top-ten-worst-domain-names

Stolen from glabrous1.  Hilarious.

I've finally gotten off my ass and completed my first MBA school application.

The school is Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI), offering an MBA in Sustainable Business, and founded by Gifford Pinchot III, grandson of the first chief of the US Forest Service.

Thanks to A, I and H for feedback on the essays!  (And thanks to L. for the LJ nudge!)

Oh, my WORD!   I actually believe these execs are real.



Mean Automakers Dash Nation's Hope For Flying Cars 
 
If you're browsing, the one about the n-word-using porn star is hillarious, too:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/use_of_n_word_may_end_porn_stars

 

1. Messing with telemarketers.  I love to keep them on the phone for 10, 15, even 30 minutes, just chatting about their life, where they live, whether they're in school, what's their first language (Tagalog, more often than not, or Hindi).  Very occasionally, I'll get their first and last names and their city, then I'll Google them while we're talking, and ask if I got their home phone number right.  I did the job for a very tough 3 weeks, cold-calling to sell subscriptions to the L.A. Times, so I guess I have some pent up animosity left over.  They called me, right?  (So don't feel too surly, birdmatrix)

2. Balancing on things.  Chains across parking lot entrances are very good.  Railings, fences, curbs.  Once at work, I was balancing on the welded pipe fence and a Sr. Manager gaped at me out the window.  Now I usually just do it on my own time (thanks to Elfa for the recent opportunities at events, not to mention gifting me with my own rope stakes!)

3. Diet Coke.  When I was losing a bunch of weight about 4 years ago, I started using it as a diet suppressor.  I would limit my intake to 4 cans over the course of the afternoon.  These days, it's my crack.  I drink one or two on my way in to work, four or five over the course of the day, and one or two more on the way home.  How many is that?  8? 10? A 12-pack a day?  I still feel it's better than eating candy or bread (heart disease runs in my family, not cancer), but I understand that the aspartame isn't that good for you, and there are rumors of the CO2 causing bone deterioration.  I don't believe that, but I did start taking calcium pills just to be sure.  As Woody Allen says, "I don't believe in the afterlife, but I'm taking along a change of underwear."

Speaking of Woody, 
4. Jokes.  Corny, corny, 10-year-olds-luv-em jokes.  Whatever will I do when my kids are grown and I don't have them as an excuse?  Aw, who'm I kidding?  They're not an excuse now!