Holi-daze Rush By

The trip to Vancouver and Victoria marks the highlight of this year's vacation season. As promised, Winter Vacation Photos are viewable online.

Christmas went well, with Cici and I visiting my family up in Portland. It was good to see the fam again, and exchange the kind of talk that families do. The only downside being that it made my special someone homesick. She won't be able to spend Chinese New Year's with her fam, and that's tough. If there were something we could do here instead... but I guess nothing can really take the place of being with family during this season. I remember how it felt to be alone in Japan over the Christmas season not so long ago. Email, cards and phonecalls helped, but they're not the same as being there and conversing face to face. But, we do what we can and sometimes there's just nothing else for it but to grin and go on.

So, here's a happy story from Canada:
After taking the ferry over to Victoria from Vancouver, Cici and I stopped at a Red Robin for a late dinner before trying to catch the last ferry for the States. As it were, we missed that last ferry by some five hours. Ha ha! So, we found a hotel and crashed for the night. But we went out before getting to sleep right off and found a kewl little bar at the Strathcona Hotel. We had a couple of drinks there and just relaxed a bit from our hectic schedule and upcoming long drive back to Eugene the next day. It was a good time and not too expensive, as far as bars go, and was a great chance to simply lean back and enjoy being in Victoria.

Simple story, but its often the times that at first seem simple that mean the most. Check out those pics and enjoy!

Viva la Vacacion

My someone and I just returned from our tour of the Great Northwest, rolling back in at around midnight.


Tour stops included:

• Visiting Family in Portland, OR
• Acquiring a Canadian VISA in Seattle, WA
• Chillin' with Yutaka in Vancouver, BC
• Ferrying out to the Buchart Gardens in Victoria, BC
• and Ferrying back to the States again thru Port Angeles, WA

I'll be posting our photo album online shortly, with links to follow. In the meantime, I'll amuse you with this little story about how Intel made a wee-little mistake...

In my last post I had mentioned that I'd been offered a job. This was true, up until Thursday afternoon, that is. Their HR department called to tell me that they had meant to offer the job to another individual who happened to have the same name as I do... right down to my middle initial. I was none too pleased, but there was not much I could do. I just told the HR people that I was still quite interested in working with their company (as dense as they appear to be) and they responded by telling my how strong my resume looked and that they would work to "get me in front of managers right away." From my business law course I know that if I had made any purchases on the basis of the employment offer that was ultimately and unjustly rescinded, they would be legally bound to pay me some compensation. But, as it were, I did not buy a house or a car or anything at all really. Ah, well. Maybe they will help me get into the company; maybe they won't. But either way, I'm back to where I was before. Still glad that I had a great vacation and enjoying my time before delving once more into the books that own my mind until it gets rented out to whichever company wins the auction. I've considered starting my own business, but I really need to get a more rapid return on my educational investment than entrepreneurship usually offers. I'll probably go into business for myself one day, but not right away.

So, that's that and there ya go. Stay tuned for pics online and stories from our vacation into the Great White North.

The Road Ahead

This posting comes with the completion of my week-long adversities and random stresses. It's as if new life has come in with the morning breeze that I could even feel it as I dreamt of kudos and accolades last night. Beginning with the final event first, the Intel HR representative called today to formally record my acceptance of their offer of employment post-graduation. The call came as I had, as things like this often go, just settled my place in the bathroom. I'm slated to work in Santa Clara, but may be able to negotiate the deal if my internship group comes around, as I expect they might, and offers me a post sometime in early spring. In the meantime, I can shop around other businesses knowing that I've got this solid job-plan in place.

As for the other items on my mind, my grades came back all that I'd hoped for. Three A-'s and one B (hey, it was Adv. Fin. Mgmt. and w/ a tough professor). So, I'm pleased with that end of things. As well, my car is back in good condition and running reasonably well. Actually, as I was about to tow it to an auto shop, a guy from AAA came out to assist with the towing. Turned out that my car's gear shifter was not fully in the "park" position. All the AAA guy did was push the shifter a bit until it "clicked" and was fully "engaged" in park and then she started right up. Made me feel bad for not finding the problem, but sometimes its the obvious things that escape us, i think.

Then, just as I was writing this blog, I received an email from JAL stating that my refund "request" had been "approved" and that the money was being credited back to my card. Niiiice. Five problems up and five problems down and me standing on top of it all. However: I need to say here that I strongly believe that these successes are not due to my own abilities or anything I may have said or done whatsoever; except, that is, to pray about it all. The manner in which all of it occurred, processed and was resolved all compels me to see God's plan in action, for whatever that may be or wherever He takes me. I thank Him and praise Him for his guidance.

Now, with school out, my employment situation settled, my car in working order and money in my account, Cici and I are off to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver B.C. from tomorrow morning. We'll be off to do some shopping, see some family & friends, and generally just chill for awhile. A break well-earned and well-deserved. Of course, this means and an early night for bedtime and to recharge the ol' batteries for the next adventure.

Here's Savvy, signing off for now. More later, with tales of the road unfolding ahead.

Unbelievable Week

It's way too tough to begin explaining how crazy this past week has been. It's a story even I wouldn't have believed if someone had relayed it to me before. But its not a work of fiction, nor a nightmare or even a crazy daydream. It's happening to me right effing now.

It breaks down like this:
Two weekends ago, I took a trip to Seattle to hang out with a few old friends and relax my mind just a bit before handing in final deliverables and running headlong into Finals. Last week was "dead week", though it didn't seem all that "dead" to me. Papers and essays and projects and presentations... one for every day of the week! And then at last, the weekend. But it was not your typical weekend. Rather than catch up on sleep and whatnot, I was up at nearly the first light of dawn and in the library or school computer lab studying and cramming and working the last bits of information on my three papers due during, and in addition to, FINAL EXAMS. So the weekend pretty much flew by with my nose either pressed against a computer screen or buried in some book.

Then came Monday, and the all to real nightmare grew towards its climax. An exam in Advanced Corporate Finance and more work on projects & papers sped the clock 'round on its axis. Then evening, and my stomach craved something other than the sandwiches I'd been living on for who knows how long. I ran out to my car and... and... NOTHING. The battery was dead, or so I thought at the time. So, back to the fridge for another sandwich and more study and off to bed figuring I'd take care of the damn thing after my exam on Tuesday.

So Tuesday morning hits and I'm off for a final exam in Mangement Negotiations. That, I must say, went extremely well. I actually chuckled very quietly when I read the exam questions. Everything I'd studied and nothing I hadn't. Niiiice. And I was feeling pretty confident that I'd just jumpstart the car and head off to the auto store and grab a new battery. But no help! No one was available to jump the car. Everyone I knew was busy either taking or studying for an exam. So, I figured I'd have to just put it off until wednesday. And then I noticed a missed call...

It was Intel, calling to make sure that I had submitted all of my documentation to be considered for future interviews and such. I scrambled to make sure that I had done all that jazz and sent it in and whatnot and tried to see the bright side. "At least they're interested and haven't tossed my app on the discard pile," I told myself. My g/f is an architecture student and is even more busy than I am this week, but in a different way. She's got to create building models and draw appropriate representations of those and then present the full deal to a panel of professors. Multiply that process by three and you get her week. Even now she's off working on some masterpiece, during which she sliced open her finger and caused a panic in the architecture studio. It's probably not serious, just startling was all.

Since I'd no exams today, Wednesday, so I stayed up with Cici until about 6am as she pulled an all-nighter working on a bldg. model. I awoke to hear my phone ringing at around 10:30 this morning. It was Intel again. But this time it was with a job offer! Whoa! Now that really came out of leftfield because I hadn't even interviewed with that particular department yet! Of course, I did have a weird impromptu telephone interview with the HR rep about a week ago, but I had no idea that that conversation was the first and last interview I'd have or need with the firm. I did intern with them last summer, and perhaps I just did such a great job that I was a sort of "first round draft pick", so to speak. Anyway, there is a problem with the offer. The money's good and benefits as well, but they want me to move to Santa Clara, CA. Now, my family is up in Portland and I'd like to stay up in the Pac NW. It's just my home and that's it. So, I haven't accepted the offer yet. The HR rep said that I could call her back tomorrow and discuss this further. So, I'll call her tomorrow and negotiate for a homebase office in Hillsboro. I'll keep y'all posted.

So, that minor situation handled for the time being, I went to check my email. Brief story: I'd missed my flight to Japan a few months ago and subsequently bought another ticket. I'm trying to get a refund for the unused portion of my first tickets but have been given the run-around. And that saga continues. They had requested some documents as well, and are now claiming that those documents I had sent were incorrect. B/S! So, it looks like this will drag on for awhile longer. But what a time to get this message, on top of all else I'm under this week. So, I replied to their message appropriately and headed off to try and fix my car.

A friend of mine took me out to a battery store where they tested my battery and told me it was low, but that it should be able to start my car with a jump. Not again! So, the problem must be something else. The starter perhaps? The alternator? The connector cables? Or maybe the damn thing just doesn't like me. Whatever it is, I'll need to get it towed out to the shop, probably on Saturday. Good news is that a friend of mine offered to help me tow it out there on Saturday. Nice. Now all I need are some chains/cables to attach it to his truck. But I'll think about that part later, most likely when I call the shop tomorrow.

After the battery ordeal, I went back to the computer lab to finish my part of a marketing team assignment. That was about the time I heard from Cici that she'd cut her finger. Awesome, I mean, just spec-effin-tacular. So, we went out for a bite to eat, eventually heading back to work. 11pm rolled by just as I was wrapping up my paper. Exhausted, I shuffled home and sit before you all now, staring blankly at my computer screen with its flashes and blips and bleeps and things that move upon which I can no longer focus my eyes or attention.

That has been my week, and it is not yet half-way over.

Goodnight.

You Talkin' to Me?

I'm sitting at my desk wondering what to write. I've got a class presentation in Marketing in about half an hour and I'm as ready as I'm going to be for it. Afterwards, I'll prepare for another presentation tomorrow, this time its for a course in Negotiations. And after that, I'll be set to study for final exams next week. All in all, its not a bad schedule. I mean, even though I have a fair amount of work on my plate, I really don't mind it since I know that the end of the term is seven business days away. Then comes winter break and a break up to Canada to chill with Yutaka, a friend and former English student of mine from Morioka, Japan.

The big question is: what will I do with my time over the three weeks I've got on vacation? I wont spend more than a couple of days up in Vancouver B.C., so that leaves two and a half weeks for which I can do whatever. Its not a bad problem to have, though, eh?

But for now, I'm off to give my kick-butt presentation and revolutionize the marketing world. I'll write some more cool stories soon. So, stay tuned and hold on for the next edition of: The Chronicles of Dave.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I'm minutes away from heading up to Portland with my CCTX to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. It will be a good time and a great chance to get away from Eugene for a couple of days. Unfortunately, CCTX has quite a load of work to finish over the weekend so, instead of joining me up in Seattle for a day or so, she'll have to come back early to get a jump-start on her Architecture project. It's not fun, but at least she's committed to her studies, and is learning a lot of interesting stuff. I wish I could draw even half as well as she. Whew! Anyways, I'll head up north for a day or so and head back early Sunday morning to finish up some school-work of my own. The real break will come in early December, after final exams. After that, CCTX and DWTX will be able to take a nice road trip somewhere yet undecided. Some friends of mine are heading to Las Vegas in mid-December, but we're not sure if we'll join up.

So, with the road ahead and dinner waiting for me, I'll keep this one short and just say:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Crazy Rain and the Dangerous Drive

Yesterday, Friday, November 11th:

I left home around 9am for the Intel site in Hillsboro to meet my classmates at a 'site-visit' sponsored by the U of O Career Svcs Center. Events like these are just opportunities to get in front of company execs and/or middle managers to help determine our respective desired career paths. So, even though I had a successful internship there this past summer I decided to join the crew pretty much just-in-case of whatever. Also, a friend from Seattle was in town on business. We'd planned on meeting up and either getting dinner or hitting a couple of bars -both of which we did.

So, as I said, the day began fairly early with a drive up the I-5 corridor to Hillsboro. I am recovering from a head-cold and so was just dreading the length of day ahead. The site-visit went well enough, though it was long and fairly boring. I mean, its not like they were handing out jobs or anything. The best I got was some lunch, a cookie and a cup of coffee.

And then the fun really began. I left the campus at 4:30-ish and steered towards my mother's place in West Linn. Normally, it would take about 30 min to get there but this was no normal time: it was the start of rush hour on a rainy Friday evening. An hour rolled by and I realized that the growing discomfort in my gut was an overwhelming need to (how shall I put it?) unload my bladder. And that thought stayed with me for the next half hour as freeway traffic crawled, inch by inch, to my exit. So, when I arrived at the McDonalds to meet my mom, five minutes must have passed while I stood planted in front of the urinal. But it was five minutes of pure bliss.

From there, I saw my mom off back home. Then, through the rain and blazing headlights I drove into downtown Portland to meet up with my friend and his co-worker. Parking went reasonably well, for trying to find a spot downtown on Friday night, and I ended up only a block away from their hotel.

We headed to the Pearl district and had some Japanese food, then to a club called MeFadden's and then to Kells Irish Pub. The scene was laid-back, as is the style in Portland overall, and I had a good time hanging and not concerning with school work for a while. Only one quick story: At Kells, my friend's co-worker decided to arm wrestle me, my friend and a couple of other guys at the bar. I lost one, won one and ended up with a really sore arm this morning, while my friend lost one, tied one and then refereed the other matches. It was a fun, but exhausting day and night.

1:30am rolled around and I headed back for Eugene, dog tired. Got home, crashed and slept well. Now, here I am, getting stuff in order and relaxing on this fine, but rainy, Saturday afternoon.

And the end of the term is only a few short weeks away!!! Yeah!

Random Bloggings

It's been far too long since I worte a blog purely for fun. Yeah, I know that blogs are meant for just that but Ive been using it as more of a sounding board instead. A place to just vent my feelings or thoughts on whatever topic. During the summer, I usually blogged about fun stuff I did over the weekend or even some random occurrence at work. Recently, though, its been about school or job hunting and most recently my reflectionson getting older but feeling the same/younger. And while there have been some fun times putting these together, its taken more effort to find that sensation and get myself up and writing.

School is school, the job hunt goes the same, and Savvy is tired from working out in between. The days roll by and I am getting more nervous about finding a job. I know I shouldn't, in fact I recently got a reply from an HR rep at the company for which I interned this summer stating as much. So I go back to my computer, check my email, register for next term's classes and fret over my score on the latest Finance 671 quiz (which was ABYSMAL, by the way). Though the professor said, "You'd actually have to try to fail this class. Most of you will get between a 3.00 and 4.00." Does the term "an A for effort" come to mind? Well, whatever. I'll just need to kick butt next time. Anyway, I know what you're thinking, if you even bothered to read this far, that is. "But, Savvy... I thought you said this would be a 'fun' blog entry?" True dat, my friend. Time to get on with the show.

Next up: My upcoming trip to Portland. This friday I and about 25 classmates will visit the Intel site to meet with leaders (project managers?, not sure) from a few different business groups. It should be interesting. I've made a few contacts there, but it never hurts to keep going after it. So, yeah, I'm still concerned about the post-graduate job picture but I'm just going to use that "nervous-energy", as my undergrad Theater Arts Acting professor termed it, to keep myself focused, relaxed and ready. Like a jungle cat ready to pounce! Hah!!! Now the fun begins.
Cool thing is, I'll meet a friend of mine who will be in Portland on business that day. He's coming down from Seattle and so he, his co-worker and I will hook it up for drinks out that night. Then I'll cruise back to Eugene and crash. Should be a fun time.

Beyond that, I'm looking forward to a road trip up to Seattle and then Vancouver BC over the thanksgiving weekend. I'll meet friends, see cool places and generally chill out enough to come back and prepare for final exams soon after. Then the winter break will come and before you know it the year is gone. Getting ready for the big 0-6.

I'll end with one of my favorite quotes. This is from Earl "Bud" Powell, Jazz pianist, at a live show. He was responding to an audience member who was trying to sing scat
through their entire set. When the show was over, he looked out at the crowd and replied to the club regular,
"That what'chu wanted, Alfred?"

29° ｏｆ Ｆｒｅｅｄｏｍ

Alternate titles for this post are: Twentynine Reasons to Stay in Bed; Twenty-nine Hours a Day; and simply, Looking Back & Moving On.
Do you get the overall theme here? Yup, today is my twentyninth birthday and I don't feel any different than I did yesterday. I suppose that birthday's are rather arbitrary demarkations in a person's life. So that, we feel older only if we believe we have grown old. Really, its not age but the experiences we have along the way that makes us more wise. Some have many life experiences in their earlier years and some are more sheltered. Either way, I'm still a year older as of about 8am this morning and now I have to write "29" instead of "28" when I fill out forms, documents, papers and such. Whatever. That's about the only difference. Oh, and that next year I'll move from the fun-filled, youthful twenties and become "thirtysomething". Although it doesn't mean anything (aside from whatever meaning I put to it), I'm all geared up to enjoy the final few Acts and Scenes of my twenties in big-daddy-party-style.

Life drums on and we're all just marching to the beat.

Updates and Travel Plans

All my Seattle-ite peopleses, what's ups? I'm just chillin' in school for the remainder of Fall term, looking forward to the nice, long, nearly month-long Winter break. Oh, what a vacation it will be. I honestly and truly appreciate this last best chance to do nothing as I know that post-M.B.A. life will likely find me with more than enough work to fill my days. Although, if I am hired on at Intel, I'll enjoy a three-month sabbatical if I manage to last seven years there. My co-worker during this summer's internship is about one year away from enjoying three months free time and I got the impression that he's just counting down the days even that far out.

So, that's my update. Other than that, not much else is going on. Classes are hectic and I'm studying madly. However, I'm thinking of taking some time around Thanksgiving to get around and get out of town for awhile. It would be nice to take just a day or so and hit the road. Since I'm living so close to campus this year, I almost never get out for drives. I'm hiking and working out quite a bit, though, and it's good to get the exercise. Anyway, let me know if you will be in town during the week or that weekend. I know I'll see the family for Thanksgiving dinner (more like a late lunch. They always start around 2pm...hmm.) but afterwards, I don't plan on hanging out there. Lemme know what your schedules look like and I might just swing up for a beer 'n whatnot.

I haven't blogged or mass-communicated in a while, so I figured I was overdue. I've updated my photo albums online and added and reorganized all my photos. My photo website now views as one cohesive and chronology of my life since 2001. I think makes for rather interesting viewing, and is really the best way I can express my life in and out of Japan and returning to America again.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dbsavoy/my_photos

Check it, and dig it if you will...

Moving Day

Moving is never a fun task. It is especially unenjoyable when one has an ass-load of class work due right after. But here I go again.

Juggling stuffed boxes and the myriad loose odds and ends that cluttered my desk, shelf and floor, I set off across the parking lot for an apartment less noisy where some studying could be done. Now that I'm here, I remember just what it is that I hate about moving: settling in. Getting used to a new environment has never been easy.

While I've travelled extensively through Japan, it never bothered me to be on the go so often because even while roaming the Kanto area as a regional assistant I had a homebase apartment in Saitama-ken. What I've come to realize is that even though I move, even when I was overseas, those few true friends in my life have moved with me, if only in spirit. It seemed as though no matter where I found myself one day or the next, these individuals always maintained contact and remained very much a part of my life across the miles and years.

So while its been tough this time, as graduation approaches and I don't know where God will direct me afterward, I find myself more at ease with my situation facing the unknown ahead. I know that I will never be alone, as one is never truly alone who has friends.

Journeys To Places Unknown

My recent trip out across the pacific took me on a journey to meet friends and see places I hadn't seen even in my final year of living in Japan. My first home in Japan was a town in the northern part of Honshu, the main island, called Morioka. In this small yet lively town I met my closest friends in Japan and had a number of adventures touring all across the countryside. I ran into old abandoned shrines and statues long forgotten in the wilderness around my adopted second home. Its amazing to think that I had perhaps been places where few if any people, much less a westerner, had been in perhaps a hundred years.

Brief story: Morioka is surrounded by rice fields and undeveloped hillsides covered in forest growth. This forest growth is not impassable to hiking, however. The trees are spread apart and are themselves thin enough to allow a good level of visibility. In fact, there is a forest near Mt. Fuji called Aokigahara where hundreds of people go each year to commit suicide. They do the deed in various methods, but each year the authorities go through and sweep out the dead bodies. I once saw a television special on the subject while I was living in Tokyo. And, yes, I have hiked around that forest as well when some Japanese friends and I went to climb Mt. Fuji. Muhahahaha! But that is another story. Back to Morioka.

One day, while I was well off the beaten path (or any path, for that matter) I stumbled upon a stone pillar with names engraved on it. My first thought was that it was an abandoned shrine of some sort. Whether it marked a family grave or something similar, I still do not know. I do know that I sensed that I was the first person in a very long while to be looking at it. Oddly, when I tried to photograph the thing with my digital camera, all my pictures came out rounded as if I had tried to take the picture in a convex mirror. Weird. When I showed the photos to some Japanese friends of mine, they had no idea what it was. Even weirder.

On my most recent trip to Morioka just one week ago, I walked not too far from the hill on which that monument probably still rests. And I got some kind of freaked out because for no reason the hair on my neck stood out and my body reacted as if I were deathly cold, though it was a fairly warm evening. Then the freaky part happened. I felt the presence of a Japanese girl whom I'd never met beside me and I remember thinking that she was telling me that I should be afraid. "Kowai! Kowai, desho?" I could not hear her or even see her, but I got the feeling as if she were beside me, looking up at that hill.

Could've been my imagination, but why? I had not even remembered that monument until a good ten minutes or so after that recent freaky experience. I had a cassette recorder with me at the time, and began recording the story right after my brush near that hill. So I have documented my recollection of all that occurred both that night and my recollection of what happened three years ago when I found that monument forgotten in the middle of nowhere.

Kaeru Toki Ni

A flight from home
Nishi kara higashi made ni
Crossing over
Mae no seikatsu kara
To where it began
Boku wo mitsukeru no ni
Back home again.

Update!!!

The trip is back on! I've worked out the details with
JAL through a local travel agency (very helpful, they
were) to leave Portland tomorrow at 7:55am. My return
date and time is the same.

This means that I'll arrive in Tokyo at 3pm on
Wednesday 9/21. SUGOI NE! YATTA!

Anyway, my plans for Morioka are UNAFFECTED and I'll
even be able to meet my peeps in Tokyo Wednesday night
as planned.

So, TOKYO PEOPLE: Send me a message and lets figure
out where to meet and when. Give me your phone
numbers so I can call you when I arrive.

Ja, mata ne!

Japan Trip CANCELLED

To my friends at home and abroad:

I have recent discouraging news to share with you all.
My trip to Japan, which was supposed to begin this
morning with a flight out from Portland has ended
before it began. Due to some confusing data on my
airline tickets, I misread the departure time and
missed my flight. I called the customer service
office of the internet company through whom I bought
my tickets and they in turn called Japan Airlines
(JAL) to discuss rescheduling/refund options. JAL
responded by cancelling ALL of my tickets and
connecting flights due to missing the first part of my
trip. That means, they cancelled my return tickets
before I had a chance to use them. I am fighting for
a refund, but this setback caused my trip to be
entirely cancelled.

I will not be able to meet anyone in Japan this week.
The best that I can do is to tentatively plan for a
trip to Japan maybe in December. I don't know yet how
this term will go nor if I will get my refund from
JAL. So, nothing is fixed at this point.

You can imagine my disappointment, so I won't go into
all that right now. But keep in touch; we'll meet
again soon.

Your friend,

Dave

I am the Nightrider

I blazed out to Seattle yesterday afternoon for a bachelor's party I was obliged to attend. Having parted ways with my friends in Seattle when last I jetted out, wait... back up a moment...

It really began on Sunday of Bumbershoot Weekend, Sept. 4th. in Seattle, Washington. I had rolled up to visit for the long weekend with some friends I've known since my days at the Bank. About five years ago I left my friends and my job and moved to Japan, where I would end up staying until 2004. Now I'm back and finishing up Grad school. Currently, of course, I'm in Hillsboro. FYI: It takes about three hours from my digs to Sea-town under moderate traffic conditions.

When I had run up last time to see the crew I hiked off early to meet some other friends, a different crew, that I knew in town. Problem is: when I took off I neglected to make the rounds and say my good-bye's. I just muttered something about friends and leaving and meandered away. Not good enough! I received emails from a few folks expressing their wonderment and displeasure about how I had ditched my friends. Not too good, especially since my goal is to move back to Seattle one post-graduation day soon. And, as a general rule, I'd like to AVOID offending my friends. So, the stage is set for my mid-week jaunt to Seattle for the bachelor party.

Earlier in the week I received an email about the party and plans. I saw this as an opportunity to show just how good of a friend I truly am by driving 350mi in total to attend the festivities. So, at 2:30pm on Thursday, I set out for Seattle and made the trip in about three hours. All's well so far! The party started shortly thereafter and remained at a constant level of inhibriation and drunken ramblings through 2:00am. With all around me setting off in limp-home mode, I was as alert as ever and hopped in the car at about a quarter-to-three. My first plan was to head as far down the I-5 corridor for as long as I could keep my eyes open and hands on the wheel. 10 miles pass by and I begin doubting my plan. The weather was awful as rain covered my windshield faster than my wipers could remove it and caravans of Semi's ran along at top speed down the center lane. The caravans created a kind of murky shower of the spray shot from their tires, creating an additional hazard of the kind one who is tired and partied out should not face alone. But there I was, on the highway, driving through the spray and fighting my way home.

45 more miles slip away and I see the first of three Rest Stop Areas. I got my first second-wind just as I left the road sign in the darkness behind me. Another 40 miles ahead and I would not escape the lure of that open parking space and well-lit bathroom. But a few short minutes after stopping, I urged myself on with the thought of sleeping two precious hours in my bed. "Two in the bed is better than two in the car," I told myself, without realizing its dual meaning at the time.

More rain and road splash and fading road and sleepy eyelids dragging down and fighting through it all... and I arrived home just before 6:00am. I promised myself two hours of sleep and I was going to have it. All cleared with the boss the previous day, I came in at around 9am this morning. Now, I'm here at work and feeling fine. A little sleepy, but fine. Ready to face my last day of the Internship and ready to pack up and move out for Japan, then Eugene, then who knows where.

m(_ _)m

The Rizzinator

Here is an exchange I've recently had with a quirky, odd, little friend I have overseas in Indo (as in 'Rollin' down the street smokin'). Her name is Riz. Kinda sounds like a verb dunnit...
Rizka does Jakarta says:
hey!
DBSavoy says:
hey, its da rizzie
Rizka does Jakarta says:
busy as always?
DBSavoy says:
not this time
DBSavoy says:
im chillin like a villain. and you?
Rizka does Jakarta says:
me too
DBSavoy says:
yeah, i can pick up that musky scent of chat-room when your window opens up.
DBSavoy says:
Doesnt your name sound like a slang verb? I think so.'Just Rizzin'
Rizka does Jakarta says:
that so phat!!

Day Trippin'

Not quite on a whim, but close to it, I went off to Mt. St Helens for a day-hike on Sunday. A buddy, whom I shall call "Fremont", and I went off into the wild to just get in the great out-of-doors and get some fresh air. We never made it to the edge of the crater, but had fun trekking around the base.

Here's the run-down: The Mt. is about 60mi. from my digs in Hillsboro. We headed out around 9am to make the most of the day. Note that this is really freakin' early for me on a weekend. Im used to getting up around 10:30 or later on the weekend. As a general rule, I try to never sleep less than 9-10 hours on my days off. And my body nearly made me hold good even on Sunday, as my alarm clock didnt go off at 8am like I had planned. I slowly turned, settling into my sheets, rubbing my face against the pillow and was inches away from dreamland once more when my eye caught glimpse of the sun filtering through the blinds. Eh? Morning already? I checked the clock. 8:50am! And I couldnt call Fremont since his cell phone had died earlier in the week. Only thing I could do was to go into mad rampage mode and get my shit together in a real freakin' hurry.

Five minutes to shit, shower and shave later and I was out the door and on the road to arrive a mere 15 min. late. Not too bad. We hit the Thriftway for some caffiene and a quick breakfast sandwich and then off to the middle of nowhere. The drive up to Mt. St Helens took about an hour and a half. Along the way, trees blanketed the hillside and stood sentinel along the roadside. During a few streches of road, leaves held canopy creating a green tunnel with shafts of sunlight beaming through at points. We drove awhile, reaching an unmarked viewpoint which had a trail leading down to a river running rapid through the valley below, and hiked down to light a campfire.

A couple hours later, we managed our way back to the road and headed for Ape Cave. A deep, unlit, non-special cave 10mi. back towards town. I've been through some pretty spectacular caves before, and this... this was not one of them. Yes, it was a cave. Yes, it was dark and wet. Yes, it was fairly deep, but thats where the interesting details stop. No cool rock formations; no crystals underground; no bats flying overhead. Just a oddly shaped hole in the ground.

From there, it was time for the winding road home and perhaps a brief stop along the way to take in the fresh air once more before diving back into the city smog.

And now, back at my desk, I understand that this past weekend may have been the last best chance I'll have to hang with Fremont. He's engaged to be married next year! Who knows what adventures await them, and I wish them all the best. Damn, he's asked me to be the best man at his wedding, so I'll need to come up with something better to toast when the time comes... But all that is for a time yet to come and there is much to do before then.

All said and done, it was a good trip and a good, last, summer weekend.

Post-Presentation Syndrome

I've got such a natural buzz going right now that I can see myself just running around my office, banging on cubicles and knocking over these fake walls at random, whooping and grunting all the while. Post-Presentation Syndrome. I just gave my final internship presentation to a room full of upper managers and more on the phone. I used a PPT projector, NetMeeting, a Conference Call Bridge and IM for 45 minutes as I fended off pot-shots, questions and random attacks from the most dangerous group of managers I've met this summer. Good LORD! But I came through VICTORIOUS!

Now, Im winding down and trying to avoid a caffeine crash. I drank two cups of coffee, an energy drink and a can of Coke to pep-up for the Main Event this afternoon. Yee Haw! And it worked! I was peppy, energetic and uber charismatic as I charmed the crowd to rave reviews. Now I'm looking forward to my beer ... after work. Soon, I'll be sitting at home, pissing away time on the computer while kickin' it laid back and lazy style.

Its been a good summer. Tough at times, but worth the effort. Soon enough, however, I'll be back in Eugene for my last year of Grad school ... chillin with a fat spliff thinkin' this was some crazy-ass dream. Just kidding!

Anyway, 'nuff for now.
(Thx for the msg, Dina ;])

The Weird Day it Was

Yesterday was Saturday and I had nothing to do but clean my apartment and waste time on my computer. I sat at home and gamed for awhile but became bored after blowing so much time so I decided to get out for awhile. Getting some fresh air is so very necessary, in my opinion, to one's health. I started to feel a little light-headed after heading out on a brief walk that I found myself daydreaming about the computer game I had been playing earlier. My thoughts wandered to and fro, never stopping on one subject for too long and I lost count of how many random ideas floated for a fleeting moment to the front of my mind.

Lack of sleep. It was definitely caused by a lack of sleep. Though I tried to stay in bed late yesterday morning, I couldnt sleep past 9:30am. So, yesterday I just wandered through the day, never truly taking note its existence other than that I was awake and lucid and only noticed my surroundings on a cursory level. [Note: This morning, I slept much later and am feeling more coherent today, though sleep is still nagging at my eyelids.]

So I cant really explain but to say that my mind took a vacation and I had an enjoyable time daydreaming the day away on into the evening hours. Weird weekend.

A post about nothing...

Several days have gone by and I haven't posted anything new. I was just thinking to myself about what I should post here. I mean, should I wait for something extravagant and interesting -or- should I make up something that sounds like a good story -or- should I just detail the exploits of my RPG character? Where to begin? And I again wonder if it matters at all. I know of a few people who check out my blog and have left kind remarks in the comment section. But aside from entertaining those three or four readers, what does it really matter if I just blah, blah, blah and drone on for pages about how I tied my shoes this morning?

Now, if i had caught my finger in my shoelace and been unable to remove it, then drove to work with my finger in my shoelace because I couldnt get it out... then a police officer stopped me and asked what the hell I was doing... then he tried pulling my finger out of my shoe but it wouldnt come loose... then he called for back-up to get my finger out of my shoe because he didnt want the whole police station talking about his inability to untie a shoelace knot... then, after an hour of trying, they call in the fire dept. with the "Jaws-of-Life"... but just before they were about to start cutting, the knot was loosened just enough and my finger came loose, but the noise from the "Jaws-of-Life" was too great and the face shield the fireman wore was too dark for them to see that they didn't realize that my finger had already come loose so I broke loose and started running down the street and was eventually caught and arrested for trying to escape from the police. And so that's why I was late to work this morning.... Now THAT would be an interesting shoelace story...

But that didn't happen and I have no story to tell for today. However, here is a mini-story written by CCTX:

***
00C
C: I'm reading a bulletin board the students in my highschool in BJ write.so. the bulletin board is so funny. they're talking about all the bad stuff about our teacher. making fun of them. unn. they were talking about my English teacher too

D: were they making fun of him too? and cici got mad? and cici got a gun? ...and she shot all those people who were making fun of her favorite english teacher? and then she ran away and hid in dave's water bottle? Thats a great story cici!
***

So, if you've read this far into the blog, you must be truly bored. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this blog about nothing.

Money! Money, baby, Money!

An alternate title for this post would be: Captain of the Guard.

Finally, after weeks of trying, I have ascended to the status of Captain of the Guard of Vault City. At times it seemed and impossible dream to achieve this honor and privledge but I perservered.

But I hear you asking, "What is Captain of the Guard?". Captain of the Guard is a status one may achieve in the game Fallout 2. Fulfilling quests for one of the towns in the game, namely Vault City, and properly kissing their leaders ass will get you this status. Now, I've played this game too many times and I know just about everything in the game. I could, if I wanted, start and finish the game in about a half an hour...skipping all the side quests, of course. But I digress...

Because I've played it so much, I just whip through it and have never been named Captain of the Guard before now. So, I decided to go back to the beginning and do it right. It became an obsession and I was staying up way too late, letting my apartment get cluttered and generally turning off the rest of my life (outside of work). Since things need to be done in a very particular order to achieve this status and since I had never accomplished this task, I began to think that the Captain of the Guard status was in a different version of the game than mine. However, all those thoughts were banished when Vault City appointed my character as Captain of the Guard yesterday.

I was really surprised at how happy I felt afterward. Relieved, elated, joyous... these words begin to describe the feeling. And I wondered why it was so. Why should success in an RPG affect me so strongly. I realize now that it wasn't success in the game, per se, that caused my happiness but the accomplishment of a task I hadn't at first believed I could perform. But now, here I sit, Captain of the Guard, with everyone around me saying things like, "Sir, yes SIR." -or- "Nothing to report today, Captain." and so on.

Ah, its good to be king.

Drowsy Day

Just reading the title of today's blog weights my eyelids with sandbags. But such is the day. I had a bit of an adventure or, more appropriately, an exercise in patience yesterday which led to this post. So, here is how it all went down:

I was working a bit late last night, finishing a monthly status report for the boss-man. After wrapping things up here at the office, I headed out to Quiznos for some dinner to-go. From office to home took about 45 minutes. That pot head over at the sandwich shop is fu**ing slower than a dead snail. Anyway, I got home and was in the process of removing my dinner from its paper encasings when the whole thing fell apart on my floor. Not pleased was I. I proceeded to curse and beat the table while imagining that damn fool sandwich jockey's stoned out face. But I must pause and calm myself...

Afterward, I ate the remnants of my sandwich and headed out to the store. I was in such a mood that, in addition to the international phone card I sought, I bought a 12 pack, a high-caffiene energy drink and a gallon of milk. You know, the basics. Though time kept speeding past, I drank that energy drink and called CCTX. To get the days events off my chest.

Then I played Fallout2. Oh, yes. I played Fallout2. In fact, that energy drink gave me so much energy that I played until 1:30 am. This would normally not be so late for me. I am, after all, the guy who used to regularly stay up until 2am before getting up at 7 for work at da Bank up in Seattle... But I must be losing my edge. Having gotten 6 hours of sleep the night before, I woke up a 7:55 am this morning yet made it work only 15 min past 8. Not that hours are strictly adhered to in my company. Basically, we work as long as necessary and no one holds us to any time card. There are, however, guidelines. And since I'm still an intern I really need to be showing my best. Lucky for me, the boss (boss' boss, actually) is out of the office this week. So I slipped into my cubicle at 8:15 this morning with fresh, black bags under my eyes while wearing the same shirt I slept in last night. As you can probably tell, dress code is also a non-issue here.

So far, things have been going well today. I've gotten an e-mail of appreciation from my boss regarding the work I've put in this week and am ahead of schedule on my project. As poor an employee as I may sound, I truly do a kick-ass job at my work. I'm just fortunate to have an employer to let me be myself while I'm out there kicking ass.

So now 5pm thither winds its way toward me and I accept the invitation to get the hell out of here. Time to go home and hit my pillow nice and hard.

Zzzzzzz....

Who's Scruffy Lookin' ?

Well, I let myself get pretty scruffy lookin' this past weekend. It was an awesome three-day weekend spent lying around and, of course, playing Fallout 2. I finished the origingal Fallout a couple of weeks ago and have since moved on to the sequel, Fallout 2. Fallout 3 is scheduled for release in about a year, so there is indeed hope for the future. For now, though, I'm into the second installment of the series and loving every minute (except when the game crashes and corrupts my saved game files...).

So, this past weekend I sat at home and just vegetated in front of the computer, totally messing up my sleep schedule. Friday night I went to bed at a decent hour but Saturday I was up until about 5am, waking up at 10:30. Sunday night was even better (or worse). I finally went to bed at around 6am with the alarm set for noon. Didn't happen. I woke up around 2pm on Monday and couldn't go to sleep the following evening. Gee, I wonder... Anyway, Im doing fine this morning at work and we'll just see how this day goes from here. The boss' boss is out of the office this week and my boss lives/works out of state. So, no one is here to quiz me on the bags or the dark circles under my eyes.

What made me so scruffy lookin' over the weekend, you ask? The beard. It was the beard. I hadn't shaved in about four days before I finally cleaned up this morning and the growth was substantial. In retrospect, I wish I'd taken a picture for the blog here. Anyway, because I was just sitting at home doing nothing, I wore the same T-shirt for the weekend and didnt shave. I showered once after working out on Saturday, but that was all. It was fun, especially now looking back on it from a clean and shaven perspective.

I've GOT to tell y'all about my progress in Fallout 2, though! But... It'll have to wait until next time. Gotta go. Gotta work. Gotta ... Zzzzz...

end

A Story

What? youre on a mac? youre breakin ....p c..ci I ca..t hear yo.... CSsshShhhhshhhshhh .............. ............ ........... .......... ......... .............. ............ .......... ............ ........ .........
Haha! Just kidding!

Savvy says: Wanna hear a story?

CiCi-battle field says: yes

Savvy says: Yesterday, when I was getting ready to leave work, I put cici in my pocket as usual. Except when I went out to my car, I realized that she was screaming!

CiCi-battle field says: ....

Savvy says: So, i took her out of my pocket to figure out what was wrong, and I saw that she had fainted. So I splashed some water on her from my water bottle.

CiCi-battle field says: x_X

Savvy says: She woke up a little and said in a very dry and rough voice, "need... water..." So I let her drink from my water bottle. it was a very hot day, so I thought she must have been overheated. Anyway, when she was drinking from my water bottle, she fell inside! I thought, "Oh no! my cici is going to drown!"

CiCi-battle field says: >.<

Savvy says: But then I looked more closely, and I saw that she was ok. She was swimming in my water bottle! And she looked really, really happy.

CiCi-battle field says: T.T ^^

Savvy says: It was, after all, a really hot day...

THE END

CiCi-battle field says: yeah!

Seafair in Seattle

Friday, August 5th, 2005. I left work a bit early and drove up to Seattle with no place to stay and no plans other than a loose agreement to meet up with some friends. But this is nothing new. My Seattle friends are notoriously poor at planning things beyond the current day's activities and they are hard pressed to do even this much. So, I arrived in Greenlake at around 8pm and pull up a chair at the Greenlake Bar & Grill. A half-pound burger and two Mac 'n Jacks later and I'm off and up out. The phone rings:

"Andy. What's up man? Where are you at?"
"'Sup Savvy, I'm at home. Have you talked to Silas yet? I think we're going out to the Georgia Dragon later on. You should call Sean. We might meet up at his place to pre-func."
"Sounds a'ight. I'll get ahold of the guys and call you back."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll call Mario and Bruce."
"A'ight. Later."

My friends, aka the Seattle Contingent, always play this telephone game:

"I'll call you then you call her and she'll call me. Then I'll call you to tell you she called me. If she doesn't call, then I'll call her to call you to tell you she hasn't called yet."

So, after this, I eventually met with the crew and we went out for a beer. It was great seeing them all again. Hard to believe that 4 months have passed since I last made it up there.

I stayed out until around 3am both Friday and Saturday night, getting no more than 5 hours of sleep each night. Now here's a story within a story. Did I mention that I slept in my car both nights? Saturday morning, I had to shave in the bathroom of the restaurant in which I ate breakfast. I slept pretty well, though. Friday night was spent out west of Ballard near the marina. I parked in the lot next to where all the houseboats were. I figured that no one would care if I slept there because they were all on their respective boats anyway. Quite right! No hassles, no issues. Still, I woke up around 7:30am for no good reason. Anyway, I spent the better part of the day sightseeing. I went up to Queen Anne, where I had an apartment back-in-the-day; I spent some time walking through the neighborhood remembering some old times. It was all good.

Then, evening rolls around and the crew is getting together for an outdoor movie showing in the Fremont district. "Goonies", that old '80s movie, is projected onto the side of a building. The lot is packed; people are sitting in the middle of the road to watch the movie. I am among them, with the crew around me. We sit and watch and chill, then head back to Sean's place for a beer... but wait! Is that the end of the evening? No! Another member of the clan mentioned something about going to Rick's (a strip club in the Lakewood district) and before I knew it, we were there... sightseeing.

This is where the story gets wild. Mario, one of the honchos at T-Mobile, went big daddy pimp master style and bought $300 worth of chips (like poker chips, to be spent at Rick's) for the table. He had no cash, just the card, so I had to front dude's cover. Hence, I was the first to help myself to the bucket 'o chips. Let the lap dancing begin! It was nuts! The chicks were drawn to the chips like flies. At any time, we had at least three girls with us at the table. Pimp master Mario (But I still call him "Sooooooper Mario", after the old Nintendo game). But five minutes before we were outta there one of the girls tries to get her full game on and get me to stay out. I was just looking around, enjoying the scene, when I spotted one of the dancers walking our way. I had just turned back to the table to get my stuff together and head out when she sat on my lap and asked "What were you looking at???" Long story short, brushed her off and made my way to the exit. Ah, Rick's. Don't think I'll be going there again. It was a cool experience being seen as Mr. High Roller, though.

So, a couple of hours later, I was back in the car for another nap. Woke up around 9am and headed back to Portland. A nice LOOOONG shower and then met with a friend for lunch then crashed super hard last night. It's now 8am on Monday morning, I'm back at work and feeling fine. A little sleepy, but fine. Good times were had indeed.

Attack of the Pear-Shaped People

The greater part of my day is spent in a cubicle with four carpet covered, metal frame walls that sits in a virtual sea of other such dividers. In my time, I've noticed that people who work in an office tend to lose some of their natural body shape. In essence, the longer one sits in an office, the more closely one resembles a pear.

My cubicle neighbor is definitely no exception to this rule. Her body is almost entirely a fruit-shape of the pear kind and her idea of exercise seems to be getting up to hit the vending machine. I can hear the rotund, office chair wearing, cow of a woman munching chips at regular intervals throughout the day. Its amazing she hasn't chewed off her own fingers. I know she hasn't because she also pounds her keyboard strenuously (as if the tonnage of fat straining within the skin of each of her stubby hands did not provide enough weight; as if this were the only other form of exercise that cow gets in between munch breaks...). Ok. So, I hear the woman grazing and shifting her fat ass in her squeaky chair all day long. So what? She has a right to be here too. I know this. But knowing this doesn't make it any more tolerable.

Oh, if you could hear her on the phone! Her job is almost entirely tele-conferencing. From what I overhear, and that's a lot because she has one of those fat-bitch voices, you know the kind that seems to come from a large, hollow, bellowing cavity somewhere in between her head and feet... she simply facilitates these meetings and offers NO advice or support to her attendees. She repeats the same low IQ phrases, speaking in a pseudo valley girl/hillbilly accent, day in and day out. "So, what I'm hearing is [for ex:] that you ... you are still working on the project?" Or, "Ok, is everyone ok with that?" And my TOTAL favorite, "Let me make sure I understand. What you just said was [for ex:] you have another meeting in five minutes?"--as if the person on the other end had randomly forgotten his/her own statement OR as if she has trouble comprehending simple English.

I'm making this woman out to be a real simpletion, I am well aware. But to some degree, she truly is a moron. Her daughter as well. On rare occasions, her daughter visits with her in her cube. The daughter, young but big and undoubtedly growing, sits there looking like a sack of jelly with her drooping jaw resting on her neck and staring into the void. Guess it runs in the family.

My point here is to Beware of the Pear-Shaped People! Once they invade the office they begin to infect all around them with bitterness and ill temper. And for those who align with the PSP, you may soon find that your office chair "fits" you a little too well; that your hips and thighs are more than double your shoulder width; and, that your arms hang listlessly from a body that has come to resemble an old, flabby T-Rex. If you notice any of these symptoms, RUN! RUN AWAY! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

By following these simple instructions, you too might survive the Attack of the Pear-Shaped People.

Retro-fitted

This post is of an old email I'd forgotten to send from about a year ago. It details the completion of my first term back in school, the acquisition of a cell phone and so on. Pretty boring stuff on the surface, but underneath those mundane subjects runs a vein of creative writing I haven't shared but in private emails. So, here is an archive of those times.
****
Hello my wonderful siblings I shall now chronicle my weekend of adventure so that my peeps in Japan will know that the Dave still be down. Final exams ended one week and three days ago. Of that hell-spawned time not too much can be recalled. Let's conclude, however, that it was stressful and challenging and let's call that explanation good enough for now. For the week following exams, I had no plan other than sitting around my house and doing the odd chores here and there. I sewed, vacuumed, did laundry, et al. All such that when Thursday rolled around, I jetted without hesitation. First stop: See the fam in Portland and invest in a cell phone. Yup, Im all digital again baby. It could easily be said, though, that my trip didnt really get going until Friday. Friday began usually enough. I woke up late, ate breakfast/lunch, showered n shaved, all the goodies. But the day grew strange and ominous as Portland faded into the smog behind me and the Emerald City unfolded in the distance ahead. Seattle. Friday evening I met with a few friends from my undergrad uni days for dinner and drinks. I rolled back into Eugene last night and just crashed. After a weekend of couch surfing and random partying I finally slept -for 12 hours- last night. I was so inhibriated that I could barely think! Oh, pls tell Krista I said "wassup". She and I were supposed to do something on Sunday, but I was too out of my mind. I remember calling her, but dont remember what was said, though, I think I left a message... Anyway, ... It was a good weekend. I got to see and do things I hadnt seen or done in a while and that experience was so necessary to help myself relax. Ill do what I can about coming up to see Holmberg. Winter term will have just gotten underway and I dont know what kind of workload they will have me on. Either way, Ill be in contact.

Fallout

There's an RPG I used to play from about five years ago and before I went to Japan. It's called Fallout. Its a post-apocalyptic nuclear aftermath game that places the main character in a world where radiation has changed humans into mutants. I've just repurchased the game and have dived right into it. I was going to write about my exploits in the game, but first I think a brief introduction is necessary.

Ok. Here's the short version: The main character, called the "Vault-Dweller", comes from a nuclear fallout shelter large enough to support a community. In the game's beginning, a part essential to life in the vault (the water chip) fails and leads the "Overseer" to request the Vault-Dweller to leave the vault (temporarily?) to get a new one. After finding and retrieving the chip, the Vault-Dweller learns of a whacked-out group of religious sketchies called the "Children of the Cathedral". Their leader is an insane character called "The Master". The Master has developed a virus that changes humans into super-strong yet really dumb mutants. The Vault-Dweller is ultimately tasked with finding and destroying The Master before The Master finds and "dips" the other vault dwellers into the "vats" containing the virus (thus changing the humans into super-mutants). As well, there are dozens of mini-tasks within the game and one can choose to be either a nice-guy or a bad-guy type character. Anything goes, as long as you kill the Master.

At the moment, I've found the chip, destroyed the vats and am now just wandering the wastes (the desert now covering the shells of former cities and the wreckage of buildings and cars now defunct) searching for more experience and complete the myriad of sub-tasks the game has to offer.

So, with the intro all understood, the way is paved for diatribing on more detailed exploits in the future.

Nuff for now.

A Long Walk

I wandered away from the house at around 6pm yesterday thinking that I'd just take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. But the road has a way of enticing, stretching further into the distance and time slips by in such a manner that I found myself on the other side of town wondering how to get back. There is a highway, HWY 26 - a.k.a. Sunset Hwy, that extends from Portland over 100 mi. out to the Oregon Coast. Along this stretch very few foot bridges cross and it is always packed with cars, too busy to hustle across directly. Of course, I crossed one a couple of miles back and was searching for another bridge ahead. "Turn back? Fuck no! Not today, thank you kindly." -Hunter S. Thompson I was in for the long haul. Miles of road ahead and absolutely no thoughts in my mind about the next bridge.

Slowly, I worked my way, looping this way and around and through and up and down and over and under a golf course and a small river running through it. After another hour or so I found another bridge and managed to cross once more.

"So, is that it?" I can almost hear your thinking. No, that's not it! When I'd made it all the way back to my apartment, did I go inside? NO! I started up the car and took off on my next adventure: Powell's Books.

I'd driven another half hour to reach the area's largest bookstore, intent on purchasing the next Dark Tower in Stephen King's series, when I was suddenly struck with inspiration. I would search for classics by Lafcadio Hearn.

There was an artist (a writer) named Lafcadio Hearn who wrote tales on Japan during the late 1800's. He was a westerner who had spent a good deal of time in the Far East. The imagery he uses and the scenes his words paint are amazing. I'd come across some of his works during my own voyages out East, but had not owned any substantial bulk of them. Since Powell's Books also sells used books, and has a VERY large warehouse, I figured I'd give them a look.

YATTA! I found a thick book of "The Selected Writings of Lafcadio Hearn" in great condition. Long story short, I bought it and am eagerly awaiting lunch break to dig into this mental food.

On My Porch

I had a really relaxing day today. Probably the best day I've had in about a week. I was overdue. So, here's how it went down:

I'd scheduled meetings every hour with my "stakeholders", as they're called in Corporate-lingo. What they really are are people you need to shmooze and squeeze to eek your way through the corporate quagmire and up in to the executive offices. In short, they are your competition; however, you must work with them like Tai Chi to balance yourself, ultimately using their own force against them. Om....

So I'd done that every hour, on the hour, from start to close of business. It's an art, really. Kind of a dance. Anyway, I managed to get through my work and exercise routine home to a nice, sunny porch with a good book and a mug of beer.

Maybe its just enough for me to say today was a good day. ["I didn't have to use my A.K."]... --Ice Cube (serious old school)

Reflections

I went for a drive this evening. It began around 6:00pm and Im just getting home nearly four and a half hours later. I needed to get away for a bit. Even though I just came back from a trip to Arizona, I felt a little trapped in my summer apartment. Part of it is that I miss my cici and part of it is that I have nothing to do on the weekend. To the first point, my CCTX, I'll just need to get an international calling card and the phone number. To the second point, I've decided to keep myself busy on weekends by taking day-trips around. Next weekend I might drive to Seattle and visit with some friends there, for example.

But summer will go by fast enough and before too long I'll be in Japan and then right back to school in late September. August is almost here and time is rolling along. It's important to enjoy Summer, even though I'm already looking towards Autumn.

Escape from Arizona

It began at 4:30am with an alarm clock radio blaring static and garbled voices from some dial setting in between actual stations. I awoke wide-eyed and anxious to get my stuff together and out the door, away from the (Dis-)Comfort Inn and it's bouquet of smells coming in off the hallway. Breakfast went quickly, then I hit the bathroom and a double-check of the room and I was out. 5:15am. The flight time was 7:29 and I had every confidence of being one of the first at the terminal. But it was not to be!

The gas gauge was nearly on empty as planned (prepaid refill), so a straight shot to the rental return bay was in order. I merged onto I-10 West, toward Sky Harbor Int'l Airport. "Shouldn't be difficult to circumnavigate the Airport and find the rental bay," I told myself. "But which exit to take?" I questioned my judgement as I flew passed the exit labeled: Airport Terminals. "Could've sworn I got onto I-10 East from the rental place a bit further down." Unfortunately, no exit was labeled: Hertz Rental Cars - Next Exit. So, I turned around. The gas warning light had been on steady since the hotel and at this point the car started beeping loudly. I nervously pulled over to check it out. The door light was also lit and I was hoping beyond hope that I'd left the trunk ajar AND that my bags were still there. I had and they were. Whew! One hurdle taken and countless more ahead. I swung around, back onto I-10, this time headed East. That Airport exit just had to be the one.

I made my way to that exit and eventually got to the airport but again, no sign saying: Hey, jackass, Return Bay This Way. I fumed. Then turned the car around and headed... where? Where did I go? And why did I choose that direction? I can't say. I went toward 44th street, stopping at a gas station, cursing the steering wheel and all the other components inside the car with me. Man, did I yell! I shouted so loudly that I hurt my throat from the strain. A few minutes passed by and I went inside to ask if anyone knew how to find Hertz Rental Cars. Thankfully, one of the patrons knew the exact location and how to get there. 5:45am and not far to go. I ran back to the car, lept in and headed off once more.

I'd gone about half-way when suddenly the car would no longer accelerate and my steering wheel became stiff. On the road, blocks away from a gas station, my car died and coasted gently along for one ... two ... three blocks and ... right into the gas station, inches from the pump! Miracle! I said a quick prayer and put exactly one gallon into the tank, shooting the breeze with another patron and two guys who came up to ask for spare change (quite politely, though). "You mean you ran out of gas just now?" the other patron asked wide-eyed. "Yeah. Perfect place for it, huh?" I responded in a not-quite-there, unfocused tone. A few more words and I was back in the hunt. Hertz was just around the corner and then I was home free. ...Or so I thought.

Returning the car was quick and easy ... once I finally got to the bay ... and there was a nice shuttle-bus waiting to transport me to my terminal. Dropped me off right in front of my check-in booth. Within minutes I'd checked my baggage and received my ticket. I didn't mind that the box indicating seat number was empty. "Probably just something to do with E-ticketing," I said naively to myself. "I'll just check in at the gate window and they'll assign my seat there," which I really wanted to believe was true. So I scrambled to the security check-point and, after waiting in line for a good thirty minutes (or was that just fifteen that felt like thirty?) I grabbed my stuff, flinging my briefcase open and spreading papers and notebooks out on the floor around me. Unphazed and undaunted, I quickly collected my things and to the gate I ran. 6:45am.

A woman stood behind the gate window and a sign reading: Volunteers Needed flashed on the screen behind her. "Volunteers? This can't be good," my intuition went on. I asked the staff-woman which seat number I would claim and why had that box been left blank on my boarding pass?

"That's because you don't have a seat, sir," she replied courteously. "Your reservation is not confirmed."

"But what the... (I immediately calmed myself down) So, what happens now? I've never been in this situation before."

"We're asking for volunteers, those who don't [have an urgent] need to take this flight, to give up their seat and take a later flight."

"I see. How far down the wait-list am I?"

"Looks like ... you're third on the list."

"All right. And what if that doesn't happen?"

"Then we put you on a later flight."

"Any idea when that would be"

"I'm sorry, sir. We're not certain, but we're looking at tomorrow."

I lost my breath and my mind swam with thoughts about where I would stay and what I would do with my time if it came to that. But it wouldn't go that far. At the very last minute another guy and I were called to the window and granted seats. Mine was a window seat, no less, which the other guy wanted to trade for; but, after the events of that morning, I wasn't going for it. At last I boarded the plane, we took off, and here I am now back in my office putting this days wild wild story down in words.

At last, I escaped from Arizona.

Last one from the Road...

Today's work finished early and I headed out around noon. Back at the hotel pool soaking in that desert sun I decided that, instead of spending a total of eight hours driving to and from the Grand Canyon, I would catch a day-hike at Camelback Mountain. Its a quick 20 minute drive north of Phoenix and overlooks the city. Its a moderate 1.5 mile hike to the summit; don't forget to bring plenty of water. My plan is to get to the top by 7pm, when the sun just begins to sink into the distant hills in the west.

Afterward, I'll head back and rest up before an early flight out tomorrow. Then its back to the great northwest and lukewarm days under a grey, hazy sky.

Ah, Arizona. It's been a great trip.

'nuf for now

Day Two: From the Road

No, I didnt get lost today. I found the facility no problem. But, wandering around inside the building --actually a series of connected buildings-- was not easy. Ever played the game Half-Life? I felt like Gordon Freeman roaming the halls, evading head crabs and lightning-zapping aliens.

Two more days of the same. Im thinking of taking a day trip to the Grand Canyon on Thursday. Its about a four hour drive from here, and my plane leaves before dawn on Friday. So it would be a quick blaze there and back, with just enough time to shut my eyes before jetting off home the next day.

And here's a quick shout out to my close someone and all my friends who stand up for themselves and trust in God's love.

Peace. And Keep on Keeping on!

Desert Sun

Arizona. I went for a very brief walk in the light of the setting sun and my arms turned pink. Whether that says more about either the strong sun here or my pasty white skin im not sure. But one thing I am sure of is that its HOT! Real HOT!

I wasn't planning on posting an entry today, but something interesting happened on the way to work... Always prepared, I'd printed out directions from my hotel to the meeting site before I left Oregon. The problem: I have four days worth of meetings in AZ and they are not all at the same location. Long story short, I went to the wrong building this morning. Now, I should say that Ive never been to Phoenix nor am I familiar with the different locations (campuses) my company maintains. So, I really had no clue I was at the wrong place until I asked an employee I met in the parking lot how to find XYZ Building. After learning that it was 10+ miles away and me with 10 minutes left until the meeting began, I hopped in my rental car... A 2005 MUSTANG... and blazed across the desert sands to the correct site. Made it just in time.

I really enjoy driving that car! Ever seen that tv ad where someone is driving a car while filming the spedometer and odometer to show 0 - 60 in X seconds? Well, that was me, flying like a rocket, tires squeeling around the corners.

So, that is all for now. More tales to come. DWTX, signing out from the middle of the dry, hot, endless desert.

Hazy Summer Daze

Has summer finally arrived or is it just my imagination? I'm on the verge of a week-long biz trip to Arizona and it feels like a vacation. I'll be in meetings, trainings and so on, but it feels just like I'm jetting off for another adventure. Which is weird, because it doesn't feel like its time for another adventure. Ive recently come back from Japan, gone through the first year of grad school and am working toward completion in '06. After that, maybe it'll be time to do something new. But I think that even then the adventure will be just finding a full time job and working toward buying a house and all that domestic stuff.

True, I'm going to Japan for a week in September, but that isn't the same thing as a new adventure. That is so I can maintain contact with old friends and an old way of life I'd adopted during my prolonged, three-year stay there. So, I think it boils down to a few events happening concurrently: 1) My special someone is returing to Malaysia next week for two months; I'm going to Arizona for a week; and, I'm still excited about having bought my tix back to Japan. Individually, each of these events would be significant. Put them together and I get to feeling kinda weird. Its a good weird, though. Almost as if I am having a kind of summer adventure.

That said, it's about time for this adventurer to get on with it. I'll finish packing and getting my butt down to the airport.

More reports from the road yet to come...

Flight from the USA

Once more to Japan I go! I've just booked my trip back to the Far East at Summer's end. It will be great to go back and see some old friends and to visit the places I used to call home little more than a year ago. Wow! Only a year has gone by yet it feels so much longer. The MBA program has really exceeded my expectations of the U. of Oregon. Mostly, I've been lucky to have worked on a two-term project for "a major online book retailer" (whose name I am forbidden to expressly state). Beyond that, I've found the professors very engaging and my classmates are top-notch as well. It's competitive yet a co-operative environment that truly enhanced my knowledge and skills as a result. Not that Im writing as an ad for UO...

Having gone through all that and an Internship and looking forward to another year of the same, I'm eager to return to Japan before too much more time passes by. I can see myself saying, "I should go back and visit Takamatsu Pond again, but maybe in December, when swans make the winterscape a scene like no other." Then when December comes, "I'm really kind of busy with my job search so I'd better plan on going in Spring. Hey, then I could join some hanami parties." But Spring would roll around and I'd be busy with some project or another and I'd put it off until Summer. Summer becomes Fall and Winter and Spring and Summer once more, only then I'm not in school, I'm working full time and begin thinking about visiting places I've never been. Time goes by and who knows when I go back to Japan? By then so much will have changed in my life and with my friends that it is not the same place anymore; the Japan I knew and called home doesn't exist anymore; my memories are confined to old photos and letters and trinkets of years before.

No, that won't happen. I've already booked my flight and looked into getting a JR Rail pass (Ride JR Trains anywhere, free for one week) and am renewing my lost passport. I'm laying plans and working my schedule. I will not let this time be wasted. I will go back and renew old friendships and visit old places as well as some new ones and refresh in my mind how it felt to live somewhere half way around the world.

-D

Keeping Busy

I wonder if it really is more important to look busy at work than to actually be productive. I've found that the more items I have on my calendar the more acknowledgement I get from my boss and co-workers. It's not that I have a myriad of tasks to do, or even a series of urgent meetings to attend. In fact, the things on my calendar (MS Outlook) now are informational meetings, employee gatherings, and web-based training courses. I dont want to give the wrong impression though. These are all things I am supposed to do at this stage in the course of my Internship. I'm really not a slacker. And I'd have done these things (and more) whether or not I remembered to block out the time on my calendar.

One of my biggest strengths is my flexibility and ability to multi-task. So, when I first came to this company, I didnt think it was so important for me to fill in my calendar with such trivialities as, "How to XXXXX - E-Training" because I am able to do more things than one at any given time. But when I omitted these items from the calendar, I received calls from the Honcho saying, "Maybe we need to enroll you in some additional training courses." Or, "I think we need to meet at least a few times a week until you get ramped up into your project." And when he made these comments I just shot back with that day's goal and informed him that I'd already completed it! I'm not just flexible, I'm quick as well. His usual response, "Oh, I see. Excellent work. Let's schedule a time to go over this more this afternoon." So, I'd schedule the meeting and we'd go over it and he'd say the same thing again. It's almost as if he just wanted to be kept busy.

I thought I might test this theory out. I would schedule all appointments, meetings, training sessions, etc. and see what happened. Night and day! I noticed the difference almost immediately. Calls from the Honcho dropped off like a cliff and something even more interesting happened; I had fewer tasks assigned to me and was almost never bugged about delivery dates. It's not like he couldn't see what I had scheduled; he knew what I was putting up there and they were all true action items. But how could a company as leading-edge as this be so single-task oriented? Maintaining sole focus on one action at a time throws multi-tasking right out the window. I won't let that stop me though. I see this as just another way to get ahead. Make myself look busy, and then continue to over-deliver on my results. More kudos, more acknowledgement and a promotion/raise right around the corner. Thank you MS Outlook, Thank you!

Mad Dash to Eugene

It began at 4:00PM yesterday. No, wait. To tell this story right, I need to start at the beginning...

My summer internship began on June 20th at Intel in Hillsboro. From day one I've had such a flurry of deliverables and actions required (AR's) so that when July 1st rolled around I was more than ready for my first direct deposit paycheck. Only, when I checked my account, there was no deposit. In a rush I called the payroll department to see about my funds and found that they had my bank account number incorrect in their system. D'oh!

A few emails later the nice payroll department staff woman assured me that the check was in the mail. And it was though, as I later discovered, sent to my previous address in Eugene. "Well, no problem," I told myself, "The post office will forward it to my new address within a day or two." But two days rolled by, then three, then four and my nerves were shot. I called payroll once more just to confirm their idiocy expecting to discover that they hadn't sent the check when they promised, but sometime afterward. No such news. At 3:45PM yesterday I learned to my horror that they had FedEx-ed the thing to Eugene. "WTF!" I silently screamed from my not-so-private cubicle. More frantic phone calls and quick conversations with the people at FedEx to verify that they still had the package in Eugene and I was out the door and on the road at a quarter-past four. The Eugene FedEx closed at six, so that left me with 1:45 to travel 120 miles through rush hour traffic.

Down Hwy 26, through the heart of Portland's Monday rush hour traffic, to connect to Hwy 217 and onto I-5 for a frantic drive just flirting with a speeding ticket the whole way. I kept so focused on the road and my speed and the cars ahead of me that I ignored the tension growing in my shoulders as I drove like I was racing NASCAR. I kept pace through the all too infrequent mile signs that told me by how much time I would miss the FedEx office's closing moments. I increased my speed just a bit but I was so focused on the goings on around me that I was driving as safely as if I had followed the limit exactly.

Finally I saw the sign, "Springfield, Exit 195, - 1 mi." And I knew. I knew I was going to make it! Five minutes to spare, I rolled into the FedEx parking lot and picked up that which had eluded me for nearly two weeks... I finally got paid!!! And now comes the really fun part: writing checks and paying bills. Oh, the joy. So, after a trip to the bank, I spent some time in Eugene with a close someone, got back to Hillsboro around 2:00AM, and had time to close my eyes briefly before starting work --complete with an 8:00AM meeting-- the following morning.

Looking back on the whole thing, it was kind of fun. Not that I'm eager to repeat the events. But it's now just one of those things I can file away and recall and smile at the random insanity of it all.

-D

20/20 Hindsight

A close someone brought to my attention that my last post was rather depressing. Now, looking back on it just a few hours later, I see that as well. That was so not my point. By calling out the silliness of working toward non-lasting ends, I only meant to point out that we would all do well to realize that to some degree each of us has fallen victim to the belief that life is work or vice versa.

Its kind of a pipe dream that everyone should do something that they love and that all our efforts should be focused on some overarching goal. Its also a utopian ideal that all people should work for the betterment of humankind. If overall betterment was something people truly wanted then that desire would be reflected in the kind of goods demanded of the companies and firms that would produce them, ceteris paribus.

Okay, I realize that even this post is getting a bit gloomy. So, here's the point: we should realize that life is rather silly and that the point of life is not to spend all of one's time in a cubicle, an office, or even a boardroom but rather to get out from behind our desks, to run, to play, to love and laugh and cry and to be...just be.

Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays...

I just love that line from "Office Space". Not, of course, that I have "a case of the Mondays", but that today IS Monday and ... whatever.

I've often thought that people spend entirely too much of their life working. And I really wonder why that is. That old phrase "running the rat race" comes to mind. It would make sense if mankind were working towards a single goal, or series of goals that had some sort of significance other than triviality. Say, if there were only a few sectors of work, each with a primary purpose. Feeding humanity would be one; clothing and housing would be one; building a communications network would be another; and perhaps some lofty goal (ie, terraforming mars) would be yet another. For the time being, I guess I must include the military as an essential sector as well, though in a perfect world...

Anyway, it occurred to me that so much of our effort is spent on things that will not last and do not really matter, in that the fruits of our labor do not contribute to the betterment of man. In fact, some industries are actually a detriment to society (eg. the oil industry in general, various industries unwillingness to adopt "green" technologies and practices, the tobacco industry, etc.).

It just struck me, as I look over the walls of my cubicle and peer into a sea of identical cubes in a vast room, in a building of many similar rooms, on a campus of identical buildings, within a city comprised of more of the same, that there are more people than not who are spinning their wheels and not going anywhere. Meetings upon endless meetings spent discussing the same topic with little to no progress evidence my observations. We've all experienced these, and they're not always bad. Sometimes the point of a meeting is something besides tangible progress towards project completion. Sometimes we need to meet in order to remember that there are others outside our own cubicle who also spend their lives in cubicles just like our own. However, more often than not, it seems as though we are just hamsters on the wheel.

In the end, we just try to convince the boss that we have done something somewhat productive in order to justify our paycheck, in order to pay our bills, in order to have the things we have, in order to live our life. And I just wonder why? Why do people believe that they need to work to earn to buy to have to live instead of just living? Its strange how complex we make our lives and get so wrapped up in the rules we make that we forget how to just be.

That said, I should get back to work. Need to convince that boss that I am a productive little rodent as well.