2006 Awards (so far...)

It's close enough to the end of the year, so these are the awards as given...

1) DRINKING BUDDY OF THE YEAR
Nicole and Di probably will take the cake on my last few months in Phoenix.

2a) LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD - LONGEST FRIEND(s)?
My friends all (in one way or another) abandoned me this year….SO I’d have to say that the winner would be Jackie. She came in strong near then end.

2b) NEWCOMER AWARD - NEWEST FRIEND?
Kamryn and Jaime have been AMAZING the last 5 months.

3) HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR?
Well, let me think….(you mean there WAS a good part?!)
No, I think meeting and now dating Josh will DEFINETLY win this one!

4) LOW POINT OF THE YEAR?
This one had no other competition: leaving Arizona and all the prequels to that event.

5) BEST HOLIDAY?
My birthday/Christmas time was AMAZING!!! But coming in a close second would have to be Memorial Day camping.

6) ANTHEM FOR 2006?
I’d say “sometimes you can’t make it on your own” –thanks to Josh for that one.

7) ANY REGRETS?
I live to regret nothing.

8) BEST NIGHT OUT?
The girls night for Nicole’s Graduation at the Big Bang…..Joe…..Paul……

9) WORST NIGHT OUT?
The night I was trashed and Oo’s and my friendship hit the rocks…hard.

10) WHO DID YOU SPEND VALENTINES WITH?
Myself

11) BEST RELATIONSHIP?
JOSH! >no brainer<

12) WORST RELATIONSHIP?
I think that one would be a tie between Aaron and Oo. >equally broke me<

13) FIRST GIG OF THE YEAR?
Partying it up in No. Carolina (whiskey river?)

14) LAST GIG OF THE YEAR?
It will probably be a quiet night at home.

15) BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR?
I decided to move home to Denver.

16) WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR?
1-Spring Training in Phoenix or Ft. Meyers
2-Trip to Israel
3-Go back to school
4-Get outta debt!!

17) MOST STUPID IDEA WHEN DRUNK?
To try to talk with Oo.

18) TOOL OF THE YEAR?
Probably Oo.

19) MOST LOYAL FRIEND(s)?
Ummmm….Josh.

20) BIGGEST CHANGE OF THE YEAR?
Moving….twice….and being with Josh. (flipped my world upside-down!!)

like a sandwich that tastes better because your mom made it

Some people have coffee addictions...okay alot of people...
In fact, I'd say 80% of the people I know have a caffiene addiction.
I'm apparently unable to have any addiction. I think this is due to my extreme sloth, and an addiction would require alot of effort on my part that I'm not willing to exert.

However, I do love pearl tea. I think I love it in the way that other people love Starbucks. I have one maybe once or twice every few months, mostly because it's kinda expensive for what you get-- tea, syrup, milk and gummies.

It occurred to me that I could probably make them at home.
So I looked it up.
Apparently I can.

But that would kind of take the fun out of it. Right?
Like how rich celebrities have Starbucks come out and install a custom coffee bar in their mansions. It can't be as good, because you still have to make it yourself.
And besides, I'm not Korean, I'll probably screw it up.

And if you're curious, this is what an extreme sloth* looks like>



*ok, I'm not extremely slothful, I just wanted to make that image.

Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow!!!

Today is a mad crazy Christmas Blizzard!!!!!
I'm lucky enough to have snow for my birthday, but this is madness!!!

It started snowing late last night (12/19/06) and is going, going, going...stacking higher and higher as I sit here in my cubicle.

It's 9:52.

Hopefulyy I'll be leaving soon to get snowed in at home or with Josh watching movies for the next two days!!!

On 9News.com....every school in the city of Denver is closed today and a rapidly growing list of businesses are wising up and closing too.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

FINALLY A WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR ME!!! (after 3 years in the desert!)

Pirate Party!!!!!

I had the best birthday party and I have the best friends in the world!!! Thanks everyone for coming and dressing up like pirates!!!! ARRRRRRGGG!

you thought you knew...didn't you...?

I've got a great personality, good charm, I like to look at my own reflection, I can put together puzzles rather quickly, I don't date, I love baseball and hockey, I know the definition of the word "charisma" and recite it on a regular basis, I'm easy to get along with, I don't talk to strangers, I like to use the same word in every sentence when writing emails, I hardly ever email people, I like nice things, I have mediocre stuff, I obsess over things I can never have, I have things I don't want, I'm cold, Jesus didn't and neither will I (WWJD), I love change, I like my hair wet, I don't like wind, I'm really self concious, I haven't eaten in a while, I miss Joey, I thrive on cranberry juice, I have a high pain tollerance, I don't know very many big words, I like to keep old school work, I eat the same thing everyday, I hate fraternaties, I want to ride in a kangaroo's pouch before I die, I have small hands and feet, I don't really know anything about possums, I write poetry, I like to pick other people's noses, I have a close family, I'm ridiculously scared of spiders and mice, I'm a clean freak, I hate cars, I'm tired, I have less than five friends, I know things that others do not, I don't like flip-phones, I don't remember most of the stuff I'd like to, I have more than four friends, I'm good with kids, I'm good at cheating during team games, I wear tank tops daily, I have people who owe me money, I hate the cheifs, I don't like goals, I love dreams, I eat a lot, I pop my knuckles, I gave a bunch of clothes to Goodwill, I love white cherry slurpees, I buy a bunch of the same socks so I don't have to sort or fold them, I get distracted easily, I like only one country song, I'm not going to tell you which one, I have a big bed, I think rain is nice weather, I write neater with pencils, I have a lot of scars, I remember important things, I have small ankles, I don't like confrontation, I remember little things, I think doorstops are fun, I drink a lot of beer, I can quote Clueless and Little Rascals word for word, I'm out of printer paper, I love meeting new people, I like to be tickled, I make up games and play them, I always win, I don't like people when I first meet them, I have cable TV, I can't draw, I want to invent teleportation, I'm afraid of flying, I'm proud of my stepdad, I go on dates by myself, I don't like blondes, I recently found out that Jackalopes are fake, I was very upset, I am Jack's broken heart, I chew gum constantly, I don't mind pooping in public, I believe that everyone looks at their poop, I've looked up The Statue of Liberty's dress, I was dissapointed, I miss perfect opportunites, I need a massage, I'm hungry, and I don't have pets.... just to give you a little idea about me.

My Middle Name is Kurt...Not Fart....

The $2 Bill

The $2 Bill.
Everyone should start carrying them!

I am STILL laughing!!
I think we need to quit saving our $2 bills and
bring them out in public.

The younger generation doesn't know they exist.

STORY:

On my way home from work, I stopped at Taco Bell for
a quick bite to eat. In my billfold are a $50 bill
and a $2 bill.

I figure that with a $2 bill, I can get something to
eat and not have to worry about anyone getting
irritated at me for trying to break a $50 bill.

Me: "Hi, I'd like one seven-layer burrito please, to
go "

Server: "That'll be $1.04. Eat in?"

Me: "No, it's to go." At this point, I open my
billfold and hand him the $2 bill. He looks at it
kind of funny.

Server: "Uh, hang on a sec, I'll be right back."

He goes to talk to his manager, who is still within
my earshot.
The following conversation occurs between the two of
them:

Se rver: "Hey, you ever see a $2 bill?"

Manager: "No. A what?"

Server: "A $2 bill. This guy just gave it to me."

Manager:"Ask for something else. There's no such
thing as a $2 bill."

Server: "Yeah, thought so."

He comes back to me and says, "We don't take these.
Do you have anything else?"

Me: "Just this fifty. You don't take $2 bills?
Why?"

Server: "I don't know."

Me: "See here where it says legal tender?"

Server: "Yeah.

"Me: "So, why won't you take it?"

Server: "Well, hang on a sec."

He goes back to his manager, who has been watching
me like I'm a shoplifter, and says to him, "He says
I have to take it."

Manager:"Doesn't he have anything else?"

Server: "Yeah, a fifty. I'll get it and you can
open the safe and get change "

Manager:"I'm not opening the safe with him in here."

Server: "What should I do?"

Manager: "Tell him to c ome back later when he has
real money."

Server: "I can't tell him that! You tell him."

Manager: "Just tell him."

Server: "No way! This is weird. I'm going in back."

The manager approaches me and says, "I'm sorry, but
we don't take big bills this time of night."

Me: "It's only seven o'clock! Well then, here's a
two dollar bill."

Manager:"We don't take those, either."

Me: "Why not?"
Manager:"I think you know why."

Me: "No really, tell me why."

Manager: "Please leave before I call mall security."

Me: "Excuse me?"

Manager:"Please leave before I call mall security."

Me: "What on earth for?"

Manager:"Please, sir."

Me: "Uh, go ahead, call them."

Manager:"Would you please just leave?"

Me: "No."

Manager:"Fine -- have it your way then."

Me: "Hey, that's Burger King, isn't it?"

At this point, he backs away from me and calls mall
security on the phone around the corner. I have two
people staring at me from the dining area, and I
begin laughing out loud, just for effect. A few
minutes later this 45-year-oldish guy Comes in.

Guard: "Yeah, Mike, what's up?"

Manager (whispering): "This guy is trying to give me
some (pause) funny money."

Guard:"No kidding! What?"

Manager:"Get this .. A two dollar bill."
Guard (incredulous): "Why would a guy fake a two
dollar bill?"

Manager:"I don't know. He's kinda weird. He says
the only other thing he has is a fifty."

Guard:"Oh, so the fifty's fake!"

Manager:"No, the two dollar bill is."

Guard:"Why would he fake a two dollar bill?"

Manager:"I don't know! Can you talk to him, and get
him out of here?"

Guard:"Yeah."

Security Guard walks over to me and......

Guard:"Mike here tells me you have some fake bills
you're trying to use."

Me: "Uh, no."

Guard: "Lemme see 'em."

Me: "Why?"

Guard:"Do you want me to get the cops in here?"

At this point I am ready to say, "Sure, please!" but
I want to eat, so I say "I'm just trying to buy a
burrito and pay for it with this two dollar bill. I
put the bill up near his face, and he flinches like
I'm taking a swing at him. He takes the bill, turns
it over a few times in his hands, and says, "Hey,
Mike, what's wrong with this bill?"

Manager:"It's fake."

Guard:"It doesn't look fake to me."

Manager: "But it's a two dollar bill."

Guard:"Yeah?"

Manager:"Well, there's no such thing, is there?"

The security guard and I both look at him like he's
an idiot, and it dawns on the guy that he has no
clue.

So, it turns out that my burrito was free, and he
threw in a small drink and some of those cinnamon
thingies, too. Made me want to get a whole stack of
two dollar bills just to see what happens when I try
to buy stuff. If I got the right group of people, I
could probably end up in jail. You get free food
there, too

Just think...those two will be voting
soon...........

The Jetsons, technology, and the fading middle class.

They say the middle class is shrinking. They say, in a matter of time, it might even cease to exist. That is, if we continue on our current path. The rich will get richer, and the poor will continue to slip into poverty. Nearly a billion people in this world live on under a dollar a day. How can the poor get any poorer? Well, it's happening.

I imagine that most anyone reading this little memo considers themselves a firm member of the middle class. A few might be in the upper class, and a few less considered "poor." To those in the middle class, don't get too comfortable. How do you plan on keeping up?

How can any of us without a huge amount of disposable income keep up with this rapidly changing world? Technology advances, evolves, and changes at incredibly high speeds. The new technology is always the most expensive technology, and these days, it's all new technology. It'll get faster, slicker, more beautiful, and, of course, more expensive. How do you plan on keeping up?

I thought of that great old cartoon The Jetsons the other day. I remembered how they lived in the clouds. Their homes and office buildings seemed to be miles up off the ground, maybe somehow connected to the Earth below. They had flying cars. They had talking robot housemaids. They had television phones. And I wondered how many millions of poor people were still living in the mud on the Earth's surface below. You never heard about them. Did they have talking robot housemaids? Doubtful. Did they have floating treadmills and fancy designer future clothes? Probably not.

They lingered below, without the great new technology, living on less than a dollar a day. Because as the Jetsons got richer, the poor got poorer. Does anyone remember seeing a minority on the Jetsons? I'm sure there were at least a couple, but I don't remember any of them.

Do you think there was a middle class? While Sub-Saharan Africa was still suffering from AIDS and other diseases, while Indonesian nations were dreaming of someday rising into the clouds, do you think somehwhere in between , floating halfway between the clouds and Earth, was a middle class with older model talking robots? Converted flying Corrolas? Second hand Cogswell Cogs? We never heard about them. That's because in the future, while the Jetsons are taking their dogs out for automatic walks, the poor have become too poor to be remembered. They have been forgotten, and the middle class has ceased to exist.

Harbor your ipods now middle class. Enjoy the Dells while they last. Because pretty soon, you won't be able to afford any of it. Buy hey, there's still one little ray of sunshine. While the likes of the Jetsons are puttering around in their flying cars and talking on their television phones, they won't be worried about today's technology. They'll have moved onto new things to get bored with. And maybe, after they've used it all up, they will just dump it over the side wall of their houses in the clouds, and little gifts will float down to the poor from a discarding heaven.

The middle class is shrinking, and that doesn't mean everyone is getting rich. It doesn't mean that you can be okay with it because you got your college degree. Don't plan on living life in the clouds, but if you do end up there, I hope one thing: that the screams of terror from hell below will be loud enough to reach up to you in your sleep (Wow. That's intense). Billions of people are forgotten everyday, and you are one of the blessed. Houses in the clouds make one hell of a gated community. Don't forget your brothers below.

never a dull moment...

jesus hearts U2

Lennon

As many of you know (or many of you do not know), today is the 26th anniversary of Beatle, John Lennon’s tragic death.
Oddly enough, John was killed in the Christmas season.
I think that it is ironic that in 1971 John and his wife Yoko wrote the song, “Happy Xmas”.

As tribute to the late, great John Lennon, here are the lyrics, during this Christmas season, to “Happy Xmas (war is over)”.
Let’s all hope that our war can be over soon!

Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
Yoko Ono & John Lennon

(Happy Christmas Kyoko
Happy Christmas Julian)
So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now
Happy Christmas


HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! Love you.
-jami