Round 2... starts June 1st

Because of the great success of the first "Fit Camp", Scott is introducing his second camp of the summer.

Whats great about this camp is its is scalable too meet everyones fitness goal. There are a wide range of participants and abilities, so don't think it's too advanced to that you're too advanced!

ps: I wouldnt promote something Im not doing myself... see ya there!

Its the thing that goes MOOOOO

I love livin in Seattle but there are some certain things that sometimes get on my nerves, like the vegetarian, vegan, whole foods, natural, mother earth people. Then there are also some things I miss about Texas, like being proud to eat meat... and a lot of it.

So, from deep in the heart of Texas allow me to present to you the infamous Reverend Horton Heat- EAT STEAK:

(for the record, I strongly recommend stopping the video at the 1:41 mark... unless you want to see where the delicious meat really comes from!!!)




I think I might take out a pubic service announcement just to get the word out about eating meat... as if the lyrics aren't awesome enough the video might insight a riot!

Eat a cow, Eat a cow, because its good for you!

Your summer shape shouldn't be round

My friend Scott (many of you might know him) is expanding his own personal training business called Fit by Focus and I wanted to help him get the word out about an upcoming Boot Camp.

I work out with Scott daily and he definitely finds new and creative ways to get results and make working out fun. So I am really looking forward to see what he comes up with for the boot camp!
Here are the details:

"Fat Blast Boot Camp" Designed to Build Endurance, Increase Strength & Burn Fat

It starts May 4th and goes to the 29th. Its 3 days a week M/W/F from 6 - 6:45AM
It will be in Wallingford, and you dont need to be a member of any gym to join.

$300 bucks if you sign up by May 1st, $325 after.
To register or for more info: fitbyfocus@gmail.com

It'll grow on you

Im pretty sure that men can grow beards b/c beards are funny and guys do funny things with them.

Not working for the past few months has given me the ability to put away the razor and let nature take its course. Living in the Pacific NW its pretty common to have a “winter beard” or just a beard in general, so not to many people think much about it. But I do. I mean, there is no point to a beard. While it may keep your face a little bit warmer, its not enough to really help. It looks “ok” on some guys, but there are many guys who just get patches of hair that sprout in random places around their faces. And even if grows in nice and thick, Im pretty sure its not a huge turn on to the ladies.

So, whats the point? Well, Im convinced that its because men, and only men, use the opportunity to shave really funny things into their face. God didn’t give women the gift of a beard b/c he knew they wouldn’t take advantage of it like us guys do, and here are a few pictures to illustrate my point:

Thats Matt

And Ryan

and perhaps, the crowing achievemnt in facial hair history is the Friendly Mutton Chops:

Well done good sir, well done indeed.

... and we're back.

Looks like its been about 3 months, 3 weeks and a few days since I posted last... Well, dont worry, nothing has happened since then. Seriously, not one thing, world wide, worth writing about in four months, crazy, I know, but it’s totally true.

Its funny, you would think I would be able and willing to write all kinds of stuff b/c I have a lot of free time on my hands, but it’s pretty much the opposite. But I had resolved to change that… Im gonna make it happen, just like the good ol’ days.

But I dont want to overdue it on the first day... should probably easy back into it nice and slow as to not pull anything or over work my cognitive functionality (two points!) .

Check back soon... there should be some good stuff coming from now on.

Crossfit

This is Crossfit:

Link if video wont play

I have been doing the Crossfit workout for a week or two now and its awesome. Crossfit has been around for a long time, but its starting to get really popular and for good reason. These are the most challenging workouts I have ever done and I love 'em!

This video is from the 2008 Crossfit games... I cant wait for the whole movie!

I love the guy in the video who is throwin up and says "Im just going to have fun!!"

Avian In-flu-ence

Im not sure how Turkey, specifically, got to be the crux of Thanksgiving dinner but ya know, once I have had one Turkey dinner... I just want another one!
Last night I made my very own mini-Thanksgiving feast. That brings the grand total to 4, yes 4 turkey and stuffing, gut busting, over indulging Thanksgiving dinners. I think that’s quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself. And that doesn’t even take into consideration leftovers. I would say I’m close to double digits if you count those.

I, personally, can’t figure out why Turkey is reserved for only Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas...Its an amazing food, delicious and nutritious. They are easy to make and when you consider how much meat one bird has they are totally cost effective. I made just the Turkey breast last night, I really wasn’t sure what size to get, but 5lb turned out to be more than enough for one person! I’ve got leftovers for the rest of the week. Which, is another wonderful thing about thanksgiving dinner. Cook once, eat for days!

I think that the “Thanksgiving dinner” is vastly under appreciated and quite limited by its title. I believe the name for Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, fresh bread, green bean casserole, etc, etc, should be changed from Thanksgiving dinner to Holiday dinner or maybe Special Occasion dinner or something like that.

Instead of once or twice a year, it could be the traditional meal served at all major events! Thanksgiving of course, and then Christmas... what better way to say Happy Valentines that with a wonderful Special Occasion dinner! “Happy Birthday, here is your very own personal turkey and stuffing with all the fixin’s.”

And of course the 4th of July S.O. Dinner, what’s more patriotic than celebrating with the food our founding fathers ate? Nothing! As American as apple pie... I say as American as Turkey Dinner! It really is a meal fit for a King, well, actually I guess it would be a meal fit for an elected official, since the whole point of the 4th is getting rid of the monarchy!

I DO pledge allegiance to the flag of.... Sorry, lost my train of thought. Turkey, right?

Ok, so anyway, I am already looking forward to Christmas dinner in anticipation of the Special Occasion Feast, and if Im lucky, maybe I can even get another one on New Years day!

God Bless America

13.1 down but 26.2 to go....

Sunday was the Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon.

Scott is still working towards his goal of finishing a full Ironman Triathlon, and in preparation he wanted to start working on long runs and a good place to do that is the the Half Marathon. Since I really had nothing better to do at 7:30 sunday morning... and needing to work off a few of the many thanksgiving pies I devoured, I ran it with him.

It was a great day for it. The weather was "warm" mid 50's which is warm enough to not need a bunch of layers to start with and cool enough to not overheat along the way. The first 2 miles were cake(pie?!?), at least for me. We actually ran about a 7:15 min mile, not meaning to that was just the pace of all the people around us. Scott takes a few miles to get warmed up, so I think it was a little fast for him, but about mile 3 we settled into a good 8 min/mile pace. It was great running with someone because when you want to slow down they keep you going and vice versa. I thought things were going great but it was about mile 6 that Scott had to make a sudden and unplanned "stop". He said he would catch up... but I was determined to not let that happen.

And then I was on my own.

Endurance races are tricky. Not that this 13.1 mile run was all that far or that hard, its just that when you are spending long periods of time out there it gives you plenty of time to think, which is unlike any other sport. Most sports are fast paced, action and reaction, attention and focus. But distance sports are unique allowing you to zone out or to have long discussions with your body, which is always pessimistic.

Along the way there are a multitude of different thoughts, you think about the race and your pace, then about how far you still have to go. After a few miles as you settle into a comfortable pace your mind starts to really wonder in all directions. This can be really good because it passes a lot of time without even realizing it. But it can also be really difficult. Your body is a funny thing, it has the ability to do crazy and seemingly impossible things but it doesn’t want to. In this case, finishing 13 miles. Your mind, on the other hand, wants to do it... but has to convince the body to keep going. With each step you get closer to finishing and closer to quitting. It’s just a matter of which one will happen first.

I was talking with Ryan one time about swimming to a certain point after jumping off the boat. I liked what he said, “Once you get going, its not like you’re gonna quit”, and he is right. Ill probably alway think back to that when Im in the middle of a long distance anything "Its not like your going to just quit".

Throughout the run I kept thinking of what my legs and body would feel like if this was only mile 8 of 26.2 instead of 13.1, AND if I had just got off of a 110 mile bike ride, after a 2.4 mile swim. Feeling like that goal was almost unattainable, I just kept running, "its not like Im gonna just quit".

Mile eight was tricky. I was over half way, but thinking about running 5 more miles seemed kinda ridiculous. Then before long I got to mile 9. Now somehow I thought that I only had 3 more miles to go...that was encouraging. But then at mile 10 I realized I can't add.

But now, I really did only have 3 miles, that’s just one lap around Greenlake, easy. Right on pace to make it in 1:45 and Scott still hasn't caught up. At mile 11 I started to feel a second wind and picked up the pace after much internal dialogue but it seemed like a good idea... for about a quarter mile. Then I slowed way down. The last 2 miles were hard. I was starting to really feel the lactic acid build up from not training enough and not doing very many long runs. Then, in the distance I saw the finish. We were up on a hill, so it was still over a mile away... but it was there. The last part is easy. No matter what is hurting or tired, its almost over. I kept looking back expecting to see Scott on my heels, but he wasn’t there. I crossed the finish line glad we were not doing 26.2 and grabbed some water. Before I could even make my way back to look for Scott he was walking up behind me. After 13.1 miles our times were only 3 seconds apart from each other, one hour forty three minuets and 34 seconds.

So, we both made our goal of 1:45. I realized, or I should say, I was reminded yet again, that I really don’t like running. However, I do like accomplishments and I like accomplishments way more than I dislike running.

So, I guess its time to start getting ready for the 26.2. I mean, "Its not like im just gonna quit now".

Holiday Season is upon us

Enought about work already!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I think what I am most thankful for is getting not one, not two but three thanksgiving day dinners!!! Not all tomorrow, thank goodness. Over the past 2 weeks I have had two full on Turkey dinners and tomorrow will be the culmination of the Thanksgiving day dinners.

If you haven't heard, Sarah Palin pardoned a turkey last weekend. Unfortunately(for her), she proceeded to give an interview right in front the turkey slaughter stand.

Ha, Saturday Night Live couldn't have written a better script!

While Palin is talking about oil or something the guy in the background is jamming a turkey, head first into the "death chamber" where it appears he chops its head off. Here is the link to the video on Youtube.

He does seem really interested to hear what she is saying about foreign oil... or maybe, and more likely, he is just checkin her out. Busted.

And of course Friday is "Black Friday". I think I am gonna ride down early grab some coffee and do some people watchin. I can only imagine how crazy downtown will be w/ all the shoppers subjecting themselves ridiculous amounts of hassle just to save that extra dollar. Funny thing is, now you can get the exact same deal online and usually get free shipping. No lines, no parking, no traffic jam... but for some reason, people want to "get" the deal, and so they will go, in mass to the malls, fighting each other with Thanksgiving in their hearts. It will be a good day to be on a bike weaving in and out of all the gridlocked the cars create!

So, enjoy the food, the friends and family and the football. Oh, and of course the naps...

Turn out the lights... the partys over

Well, My last day as a Wamu-lian will be, at the latest, January 29th 2009. 4 years, 5 months 1 week and 4 days after I started with the company.
A lot has changed in those four and a half years, I learned a great deal about banking from both the retail and corporate side. Of course working retail provides the best stories, but the corporate side is really where you learn how the bank works.

Dealing with people and their money is a very challenging situation. There are a lot of people that place money above all else. So when you are responsible for their money, it’s a pretty big deal.

One great story from when I was a teller is the lady who sold some land and deposited about $200,000 into her account. A few weeks after the deposit, she came in and asked the teller if she could see her money. The teller gave her a copy of her account balance, but she wasn’t happy. She said “no, I want to actually see my money.” So, after some confusing discussion between the teller and the customer, the teller told her, we don’t actually keep that much money here on hand. The customer, who was becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of her money, said “oh, well, which branch is my money at?” It took the branch manager sitting down with the customer for over half an hour for her to begin to understand that her $200,000 is not in a little box in the back room, separated from everyone else’s money. She was so alarmed by this that she actually came in a few days later (after we placed a special order extra cash for her) and withdrew all of the money from the sale of her land, in cash.

There is a common but totally misused saying, “money is the root of all evil.” But that is drastically misstated. What it actually says is “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1Tim 6:10) Money isn’t bad, money in and of itself is no more evil that a rock, a table or a cup. But it is when love of money becomes more important than people, friends, family then it can lead to all kinds of problems and evil.

I would say our nation, is far more in love with money than anything else. Just look at our economy, and where we are because of the financial industry and because of our love of money. Having $200,000 grand stuffed in your mattress will only make you paranoid, fearful and more distant from everyone while you try to protect your money.

So, looking for a new job in a new industry and transitioning from one chapter to the next, what I have learned and am continually working on is just this: Instead of using people and loving money, love people and use money...

But whatever you do, don’t wire your money to Nigeria.... and I promise, you didn’t win the Foreign lottery. No, really, you didnt win.

No news is good news?

Well, many people fell by the wayside today. But no news for me. We did get this amusing email from Corporate Property Services:
Summary
This message is to let Seattle employees know about a few changes in security procedures at WaMu Center to accommodate increased transition activities.

• As at Chase facilities, the security gate turnstile arms will be used at all times, beginning Monday, Nov. 24. (In an emergency, the arms will remain open.)
• During the first weeks, guards will be available to assist employees, but will then only staff the front desk.
• Security guards may ask to review the content of any boxes being removed.

ETC, ETC....

Everyone here got a good laugh when we got that email! Guess Ill be back monday, rested and ready to work! ha

10-4....

...Over and Out.

Its 8:06 Friday morning, the week before thanksgiving. I have a feeling by the end of the day I will have notice that I, along w/ 3000 others, am being laid off.

Lets see what happens.

Pop Quiz Friday

The English language is weird. There are rules for everything and there are exceptions for pretty much every rule. There are also exceptions for the exceptions and rules that follow no rules, and so on. Its a wonder how we ever got the rest of the world to sigh up to speak English! I mean, by numbers alone we should all be speaking Chinese, Hindi or heck, even Spanish!
Reading over this stuff takes me right back to the 4th grade! Its funny how we totally forget all this stuff, but then as soon as we see it, it brings back memories like it was yesterday. So, since I am sure you havent taken a pop quiz in years, especially one on grammar, I have one for you.

You speak English, so this should be a simple quiz.... lets see how you do, keeping in mind you have been reading, writing and speaking for several decades now, answer the following questions. No cheating!


1. Choose the correct sentence.
A) Either of us were capable of winning.
B) Either of us are capable of winning.
C) Either of us have been capable of winning.
D) Either of us is capable of winning.

2. Choose the correct sentence.
A) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who does whatever it takes to get his point across to his students.
B) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who does whatever it takes to get their point across to their students.
C) Dr. Cresta is a professor who do whatever it takes to get his point across to his students.
D) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who do whatever it takes to get their point across to their students.

3. Choose the correct sentence.
A) She is one of those doctors that make house calls.
B) She is one of those doctors who make house calls.
C) She is one of those doctors who makes house calls.
D) She is one of those doctors that makes house calls.

4. Choose the correct sentence.
A) It is us who must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
B) It is us whom must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
C) It is we who must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
D) It is we whom must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.

5.Choose the correct sentence.
A) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally among them or they will fight.
B) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally between them or they will fight.
C) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally or they fights.
D) With triplets, I have to divide everything equally or they fights hard.


Man, those were way harder than I thought English could be. I mean, I use English all the time with no trouble, but as soon as I am tested on what is actually correct, Im not totally sure!
Well, if you really enjoyed that, you can get more here and if not then the good news is you are already out of school and never have to worry about it again. So, the answers are as follows D, D, B, C, A.

Ok, School is out, class, have a good weekend!

"I have a meeting with the Bob's"

Today I get to interview for my own job...

I think interviewing for a job you dont want is kind of like going out to eat at a restaurant you dont like. Or maybe its like having to wearing that sweater you got from grandma last Christmas every time you go visit. You do it because you have to, and it makes grandma happy, but if you had a choice you would just say forget it, I dont really want the sweater anyway. (except in this case the sweater pay my rent... so Im not sure what that really does to the example!)

Anyway,

Last week everyone in my group received an email asking if we would consider moving to Columbus, OH. Now, I dont think this was in any way, shape or form an actually invite or request to move. I think it was more of a strategic question by Chase to make everyone feel like they were actually being considered for retention or at the least for transition work. In reality, very few people if any, will be asked to move to Ohio. Also included in the email was a time to meet with someone from Chase to discuss our current role and responsibilities in and to evaluate what, if anything, needs to be transitioned.

So, I guess I will go in and talk about what I worked on over the past few months and hope that I get an offer to work through the transition. But in reality I think this is just like asking a prisoner if he has any last requests.... it doenst really matter what you say because the outcome has already been decided. And in keeping with the prisoner analogy, soon, very soon, they are going to throw the switch and it will all be over. The difference in this case though, I get to start again, a fresh start with a different company in, most likely, a totally different industry. Where as the prisoner, well, I guess its a good thing that is where the analogy ends!

So, maybe this interview is less of a death sentence and more of a pardon by the Governor. Oh! maybe they will send us all out to a nice steak house for our "last meal", but somehow really I doubt it.

Its funny how much the corporate world is exactly like the movie "Office Space"!

("Its not that Im lazy, its that I just dont care")

Money for nothing and kicks for free

(ironically, that songs was sung by Dire Straights)

So, we have a new change in president.
Seattle, like Chicago, NY and San Fran, went pretty crazy. Here is a look at down town after the results came out:


Ya know, I really wonder how much things are going to Change. Im sure some stuff will slowly start to look different, but do people really believe that in the next short 4 years the entire United States is going to look, act, feel, and be totally different... Changed?
No way, things will be about the same as always. As they have been... and as they will continue to be. If people think one man, even the President, can change a whole country, ever.... they are wrong, and especially not in only a few years.

If you really want change its going to cost you something. Maybe money, maybe time, maybe lifestlye, comfort zone, hard work, or all of the above... but it will cost you. Are people willing to pay? Nope, I doubt it, actually, I know it. Everyone wants change and they want someone to give them that change. Change, as long as I dont have to pay for it. As long as I can keep doing things the way I want to do them.

"I want something for nothing... Oh, and I want it right now."

You got what you asked for... but is what you asked for what you really wanted?