Oct 25
Just a quick update before I have to get back to studying. Tomorrow I have a big Statistics Final and then on Wednesday I have an Organizational Behavior Final. I left yesterday morning (Saturday) and traveled to Portland to host a youth rally at Holy Family Church in Portland. (I snapped some photos of the autumn colors that I’ll post later this week.) The afternoon was beautiful but quick. I returned to Phoenix in less than 24 hours. In the seven hours since my plane landed, I have been studying.
I am vaguely aware that the World Series will be soon. I just went downstairs to get some water and saw that the Yankees might knock out the Angels tonight and progress to the World Series. I haven’t watched baseball in sometime. Actually, I haven’t watched much of anything. I am excited to not have class later this week. I’ll take off a few days from work and get out of town and try to find my equilibrium again.
Oct 08
I feel like I owe my friends and family an update on my life. Basically, the last eight weeks have been a whirlwind of challenges. I have three groups in my life who expect a lot from me: 1) Candyce and Norah 2) My team at work and 3) Professors and my team in class. There is no such thing as a lazy twenty minutes in my day. I need every waking moment to be purposeful or this whole thing unravels.
You like the idea of a challenge because it tugs on your ego’s desire to accomplish something you didn’t know you could. That’s why it is easy to get drawn into tales of others overcoming challenges. But make no mistake, when you are in the middle of a challenge, it sucks. I do keep an attitude of gratitude, but the reality is there is no romance in being pulled in three directions all day. I don’t feel like a hero or a champion. I feel tired.
Sep 26
(Disclosure of Violating the Space/Time Continuum: I snapped these photos on September 25, 2009. Because grad school has kept me busy, I didn’t post them to my blog until October 30, 2009.)
Photos of a random car show we stumbled upon in between Megan and Bradly’s wedding and wedding reception. After clicking on the thumbnails, look for a description on the lower left.
Sep 17
First, some photos from August and September, later comments on graduate school and the 2009 MTV VMAs.
Man I Love College
An unspoken subplot of my life in 2009 is entering graduate school to get a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). This meant two/three months of studying in the spring that culminated in an epic smack down of the GMAT exam early in the summer. All the while I have a part-time job actually applying to graduate school: writing essays, filling out applications, getting letters of recommendations, fine-tuning my resume.
The end of the story is that I’m now an “evening student” in the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU who is earning his MBA. Essentially, it’s a cool program for working professionals to get an MBA while still keeping their jobs. Classes so far have been challenging but interesting. Life is more busy now, so I have to work harder to keep a healthy balance of family, work, and school. It’s tough to manage. (Hence the lack of updates to my blog.) The good news is that my classes are just a mile from my house. I revel in the convenience.
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
For the last twenty minutes, I’ve tried to write something witty and insightful about the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards which aired earlier this week. But around the 15-minute mark, I lost motivation because I quit caring. But I do have a some random points I’d like to make:
- Lady Gaga is a weirdo. Her blood-dripping dance number was disturbing and morbid. Her outfits/costumes aren’t creative or even interesting–they’re just weird. A nest around your head? I know Lady Gaga is trying to make a name for herself before people realize she’s less like David Bowie and more like Ace of Base, but she needs to quit trying so hard.
- Jay-Z is getting old. He was one of the few guys on stage who opted for loose fitting jeans. With age comes wisdom.
- Kanye West, as you may have heard, is an idiot. Although I was an early advocate for the entertainer, I can no longer stand by his side and pretend he’s not an idiot. Kanye would benefit from exercising the virtue of prudence.
- Beyonce and Taylor Swift are class acts. They are both talented and will have long careers. And yes, Beyonce knows how to move.
- Eminem won rap video of the year? I simply don’t understand how a song that nobody listens to from an album that nobody’s bought can win an award. We have a credibility problem here.
- T.I. is in jail and could not be there accept an award. Do the Academy Awards ever have this problem?
- VMA darlings Chris Brown and Rhianna did not attend the awards this year because Chris Brown tried to–in his own words–kill Rhianna.
- Pink’s acrobatic performance from the trapeze was genuine expression of talent, and somehow too sincere for the VMAs. I’d watch it again if she’d do a wardrobe change.
- Russell Brand has no place hosting the VMAs. He has no charm. He’s only mildly funny. He shouts too much. Nobody knows who he is. We have a credibility problem here.
Other than that, I enjoyed the show.
Aug 10
I am in a rare moment of rest at the end of a busy and complicated summer. I’ll write more about why it was “complicated” when the time is right, but I can speak on the busyness…
We traveled to Atlanta + Tiger, San Diego, Tucson, and Prescott (and hopefully back to San Diego later this week.) Somewhere in there I went to Ohio for a weekend. I am infinitely thankful that Candyce and I planned out the summer back in early May, otherwise this summer would’ve felt like our lives were spinning out of control. Our planning paid off because our summer was fun and rewarding, even when you throw in the fact that Candyce and Norah have been sick…
…after several days of worsening head and sinus pain, I took Candyce to urgent care last Thursday. The doctor told us she had sinusitis. The prayers and antibiotics have combined to help her get better each day for the past five days. Norah had two bad weeks of teething that coincided with Candyce’s sickness. That meant both of my girls were in pain and sleep deprived, which ultimately meant they had no patience for one another.
I had to stop all of my projects and just try to hold our household together. I had to cook, clean, care, and coordinate. (I don’t think that it’s cute that each of those words started with a C. It just came out that way.) Thankfully they’re both feeling better now, and most of our weekend was spent trying to get our lives back in order.
Last night at Pei Wei Candyce’s aunt Stephanie declared that she could beat Candyce’s dad in an arm wrestling match. It seemed unfair to let a challenge like this go without resolution, so I used my force of personality to get two adults to clear plates off the table to make room for the main event. Big John Stud pinned her to the table in a matter of seconds. Next match up? Big John Stud v. Johnny Jr.–tied. At this point I realized John was tired and therefore easier to conquer. I figured I’d impress Candyce and challenged the Grizzly to go knuckle to knuckle. John pinned me with both his left and right arms. He’s just that strong. We spent the 10 minute ride home challenging John to increase his fame by arm wrestling random people we know. It was an oddly satisfying end to the Sabbath.
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