I decided that with all the time I spend online, that some of it should be useful.
On flickr there are a lot of people who have done 365 projects: a photo a day for a year. Some of them are absolutely awesome like this lego one... I want to try my hand at one. So I am doing 365 days of self-portraits. I have heard, you have heard the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well sometimes a thousand words just isn't enough. With each photo that I upload I am going to try and include some thoughts about the day or just crap that pops into my head.
I will try to include as many of these photos and thoughts here as well. So, if you see some strange headers here in the blog (like "365 :: 02.12.09 :: day two") those are part of that series.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
365 :: 02.12.09 :: day two
I had my nieces and nephew over tonight. I simply adore those kids. I'll upload some photos of them from their visit after I'm done with this.
I am not one to play favorites typically, but the middle child, Hannah has a special place in my heart. Maybe because she's a smart ass like her uncle Matt.
She came over to visit once and wasn't quite three years old yet. I was laying in bed watching television. She crawled up and laid down next to me, watching the TV with me. Out of nowhere she twisted to the side and kicked me and said, "Move over, butt." I moved over and she said, "You know what, Matt?"
"What?"
"You're a butt, Matt!"
When she came over tonight (she's almost 6 now) I reminded her of that night and what she had said and done. She looks at me with the most mischievous grin and says, "Matt, you're still a butt..."
I am not one to play favorites typically, but the middle child, Hannah has a special place in my heart. Maybe because she's a smart ass like her uncle Matt.
She came over to visit once and wasn't quite three years old yet. I was laying in bed watching television. She crawled up and laid down next to me, watching the TV with me. Out of nowhere she twisted to the side and kicked me and said, "Move over, butt." I moved over and she said, "You know what, Matt?"
"What?"
"You're a butt, Matt!"
When she came over tonight (she's almost 6 now) I reminded her of that night and what she had said and done. She looks at me with the most mischievous grin and says, "Matt, you're still a butt..."
pissed off
I got really pissed off at work today. My boss has been talking me up to move me into a supervisory position in my department. Not too long ago I was the department all by myself. But now there are two of us in the client services department and there are two pathology secretaries and a transcriptionist that would all be under me. I would also take over supervision of the send out department from the phlebotomy supervisor. It's a big step and quite a bit more responsibility than I am saddled with now. Hopefully it will come with a bit more in the way of monetary compensation. Lord knows I could use it.
So, the new position has been going through the administrative wheels and cogs and has yet to be finalized and approved but my boss keeps assuring me that it is coming. While I am waiting (months) for this to happen, the chief pathologist or someone in pathology decided we need another pathology secretary because we're taking on a new client that might potentially sending us quite a bit of work. That position got approved in less than a week.
Do we need another pathology secretary? I don't think so. At the very least, we should try and tackle the extra workload with our current staff to see if another position in warranted... but that's just my opinion. And I am not in any sort of management position... yet.
So, the new position has been going through the administrative wheels and cogs and has yet to be finalized and approved but my boss keeps assuring me that it is coming. While I am waiting (months) for this to happen, the chief pathologist or someone in pathology decided we need another pathology secretary because we're taking on a new client that might potentially sending us quite a bit of work. That position got approved in less than a week.
Do we need another pathology secretary? I don't think so. At the very least, we should try and tackle the extra workload with our current staff to see if another position in warranted... but that's just my opinion. And I am not in any sort of management position... yet.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Disturbing bathroom configurations
We are going through renovations at work and while that is happening my office has been temporarily moved to another building that joined to the hospital main building. The bathrooms in this building are extremely small. By my estimation they can't be any larger than 4' x 4'. It's basically a linen closet with a sink and toilet.
Without divulging too much about my bodily functions, let's just say that I am very regular and leave it at that. At least at one point in the work day I will have to have a B.M. The bathroom in my building is not suited for this. Not only is it small but the toilet seat is at a weird angle, slightly turned to the wall. And, there is no ventilation whatsoever.
So when I feel the need to drop a deuce I walk over the hospital's main building and usually go into the first bathroom I come to as I enter, which is right by the gift shop. Being a hospital there are all sorts of handicapped-accessible restrooms all over the place and this is one of them. The stall with the toilet in it it very large. So large that it even has its own sink, right in the stall. Above the sink is a mirror which is attached to the wall at an angle, leaning slightly forward so that someone confined to a wheelchair can clearly see themselves.
Here is the disturbing part:
The sink is directly across from the toilet. I sit down and I have a front row seat to my own B.M. Nice, huh? It could have been placed to the left or the right slightly; there's ample room... Nope!
Didn't anybody think about these things when they designed the room!? Evidently not.
This is not the first time I have run into this sort of short-sightedness.
When we went to go buy our car it was quite a lengthy process bartering and bargaining with the finance person to try and get the payments in a range that worked well for us. As this was going on and the person with whom we were dealing was on the phone, I excused myself to go to the bathroom (no, not a number 2).
I walk down the hall and into the men's room, which is laid out very nicely. Potted plants, nice pictures on the walls, etc. And over the sink is a huge mirror made up of individual mirrored tiles that stretched the entire width of the wall. To the right of the sink is... the toilet. I position myself in front of the toilet, unzip my fly and... wow! There it is...
Of course, being the smartass that I am I simply could not resist mentioning the glaring flaw in the layout of the bathroom to the finance person, much to her embarrassment and much, much more to my wife's mortification.
Without divulging too much about my bodily functions, let's just say that I am very regular and leave it at that. At least at one point in the work day I will have to have a B.M. The bathroom in my building is not suited for this. Not only is it small but the toilet seat is at a weird angle, slightly turned to the wall. And, there is no ventilation whatsoever.
So when I feel the need to drop a deuce I walk over the hospital's main building and usually go into the first bathroom I come to as I enter, which is right by the gift shop. Being a hospital there are all sorts of handicapped-accessible restrooms all over the place and this is one of them. The stall with the toilet in it it very large. So large that it even has its own sink, right in the stall. Above the sink is a mirror which is attached to the wall at an angle, leaning slightly forward so that someone confined to a wheelchair can clearly see themselves.
Here is the disturbing part:
The sink is directly across from the toilet. I sit down and I have a front row seat to my own B.M. Nice, huh? It could have been placed to the left or the right slightly; there's ample room... Nope!
Didn't anybody think about these things when they designed the room!? Evidently not.
This is not the first time I have run into this sort of short-sightedness.
When we went to go buy our car it was quite a lengthy process bartering and bargaining with the finance person to try and get the payments in a range that worked well for us. As this was going on and the person with whom we were dealing was on the phone, I excused myself to go to the bathroom (no, not a number 2).
I walk down the hall and into the men's room, which is laid out very nicely. Potted plants, nice pictures on the walls, etc. And over the sink is a huge mirror made up of individual mirrored tiles that stretched the entire width of the wall. To the right of the sink is... the toilet. I position myself in front of the toilet, unzip my fly and... wow! There it is...
Of course, being the smartass that I am I simply could not resist mentioning the glaring flaw in the layout of the bathroom to the finance person, much to her embarrassment and much, much more to my wife's mortification.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Flickr
My free "pro" status from being an AT&T (nee SBC/Yahoo) DSL customer is coming to a close so I am uploading as much as I can. I just put up all the photos I took from Pablo & Christina's wedding.
Friday, January 30, 2009
First and foremost, Rudy is an idiot.
I think that there are two problems that haunt the Republican Party and hurt them. The first is the tenacious, mindless devotion to the economic philosophy that has had so many different names: Supply-Side Economics, Trickle-Down Economics, even Voodoo Economics by a doubting George H. W. Bush.
I completely get the idea, I understand the principles behind it, but there is one fatal flaw in the equation: human nature. People are greedy by nature. Just look at Exxon. They broke their own record for earnings by earning 45.2 billion dollars in 2008. It's easy to make that kind of money when you're charging $4.50 a gallon for gas. I was and am still dumbfounded that I was paying that much for gas 6-7 months ago and am now paying $1.79 a gallon. There is no explanation for that. Why did that charge that much? I understand that OPEC cut back on production, they had to work within shared-production contracts with the refiners, etc. But that shouldn't triple the price.
How did prices get that high? Free markets... The notion that market's can and should be self-regulated is absolutely preposterous. Deregulation is what was at the heart of the Great Depression and is the source of our current economic woes. I understand and appreciate that over-regulation and excessive control of the markets will hinder or even stop growth of the economy; I'm not looking to live in a socialist country, but there has to be safeguards in place to ensure that consumers aren't raped by unchecked greed of large powerful corporations. Companies should not be allowed to become so big and have such a substantial influence over the economy that if they fail it means that the whole economy will collapse. Over the last eight years economic power has been consolidated in the hands of powerful, self-serving corporations who in addition to being able to exploit consumers also have been getting huge tax breaks and credits from the government.
And this is one of the cornerstones of Republican ideology...
The other ideology to which they continue to adhere, even as it harms their appeal and hampers their attempts to reach out to moderates is their affiliation with the religious right. Now, politically I am a very liberal Democrat however my personal beliefs lean very much to the right. I think that abortion is morally wrong. I think (like Mike Huckabee) that a person is born gay but can choose not to lead a gay life style and choose celibacy.
Having said that, if I was gay and knowing my personality and libido there is no way in hell I could live a celibate life. I could not enter the priesthood and just suppress my feelings and pray that I do not prey on poor altar boys. This is no longer the 19th Century. I don't expect gays and lesbians to stay out of public and be forced to hidden lives; I wouldn't want to do that. Why should they be expected to do so? Equality is equality. You cannot profess that you are for equality for minorities and women but not for equality for homosexuals. That is hypocrisy.
As far as the issue of abortion is concerned I do not believe that morality should be legislated. While I am morally opposed to abortion I do not believe that making abortion illegal is going to stop people from having abortions. It will only bring back the deadly, secret abortions in back alleys with coat hangers. People who are more affluent will simply go to Canada or {shudder} Mexico to have abortions performed.
And here is the real paradox in these two philosophies. When you put them together under the same roof, you are saying in one breath that you should not legislate morality on one hand (trust the corporations to be fair and let them govern themselves) and saying that you should legislate morality on the other hand (make abortion illegal and deny gays and lesbians the same rights and privileges that "normal" society takes for granted). That is damn near schizophrenic...
I think that there are two problems that haunt the Republican Party and hurt them. The first is the tenacious, mindless devotion to the economic philosophy that has had so many different names: Supply-Side Economics, Trickle-Down Economics, even Voodoo Economics by a doubting George H. W. Bush.
I completely get the idea, I understand the principles behind it, but there is one fatal flaw in the equation: human nature. People are greedy by nature. Just look at Exxon. They broke their own record for earnings by earning 45.2 billion dollars in 2008. It's easy to make that kind of money when you're charging $4.50 a gallon for gas. I was and am still dumbfounded that I was paying that much for gas 6-7 months ago and am now paying $1.79 a gallon. There is no explanation for that. Why did that charge that much? I understand that OPEC cut back on production, they had to work within shared-production contracts with the refiners, etc. But that shouldn't triple the price.
How did prices get that high? Free markets... The notion that market's can and should be self-regulated is absolutely preposterous. Deregulation is what was at the heart of the Great Depression and is the source of our current economic woes. I understand and appreciate that over-regulation and excessive control of the markets will hinder or even stop growth of the economy; I'm not looking to live in a socialist country, but there has to be safeguards in place to ensure that consumers aren't raped by unchecked greed of large powerful corporations. Companies should not be allowed to become so big and have such a substantial influence over the economy that if they fail it means that the whole economy will collapse. Over the last eight years economic power has been consolidated in the hands of powerful, self-serving corporations who in addition to being able to exploit consumers also have been getting huge tax breaks and credits from the government.
And this is one of the cornerstones of Republican ideology...
The other ideology to which they continue to adhere, even as it harms their appeal and hampers their attempts to reach out to moderates is their affiliation with the religious right. Now, politically I am a very liberal Democrat however my personal beliefs lean very much to the right. I think that abortion is morally wrong. I think (like Mike Huckabee) that a person is born gay but can choose not to lead a gay life style and choose celibacy.
Having said that, if I was gay and knowing my personality and libido there is no way in hell I could live a celibate life. I could not enter the priesthood and just suppress my feelings and pray that I do not prey on poor altar boys. This is no longer the 19th Century. I don't expect gays and lesbians to stay out of public and be forced to hidden lives; I wouldn't want to do that. Why should they be expected to do so? Equality is equality. You cannot profess that you are for equality for minorities and women but not for equality for homosexuals. That is hypocrisy.
As far as the issue of abortion is concerned I do not believe that morality should be legislated. While I am morally opposed to abortion I do not believe that making abortion illegal is going to stop people from having abortions. It will only bring back the deadly, secret abortions in back alleys with coat hangers. People who are more affluent will simply go to Canada or {shudder} Mexico to have abortions performed.
And here is the real paradox in these two philosophies. When you put them together under the same roof, you are saying in one breath that you should not legislate morality on one hand (trust the corporations to be fair and let them govern themselves) and saying that you should legislate morality on the other hand (make abortion illegal and deny gays and lesbians the same rights and privileges that "normal" society takes for granted). That is damn near schizophrenic...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
25 Things About Me
This is response to Halcyon's list on Lifestudent.com
1. My name is actually spelled Mathew, not the typical Matthew. At least that is what appears on my birth certificate. I am not sure exactly why that is but I like to tell people because my mom was still slightly incapacitated from just giving birth to me and being asked how to spell my name.
2. I make friends easily but have a hard time maintaining those friendships with only two ecxeptions: Liz and Diane whom I have known and stayed close to for 31 and 38 years respectively.
3. I am a good worker and have a strong work ethic that I got from my father and grandmother, but I hate working. The only two jobs I have thoroughly enjoyed have been cab driver and web designer.
4. The list of various jobs I have held usually astounds people from door-to-door encyclopedia sales to short order cook to soldier in the Army.
5. I do not sleep enough; I average about 4 hours of sleep a night.
6. If I could do anything in the world for a living, I would be an actor.
7. I once ran into the side of a moving vehicle while crossing the street and knocked myself out cold.
8. I have never been outside of the United States and no further west than Texas.
9. I had open heart surgery when I was 26 years old. I had mitral valve reflux so bad that the doctors could hear the murmur in my carotid (neck) and femoral (groin) arteries.
10. If I could live anywhere in the world I would still be in Connecticut. Manhattan is a close second.
11. I have 1 tattoo on my upper thigh that I drew myself: a chess piece, the knight.
12. I am at an age now where I have lived longer as a married man than I have as a single man.
13. One of my greatest regrets is not going to study for a semester in Florence when I had the oppurtunity.
14. I don't study, never have. I was a good student without studying and was even in plays with large parts (in one I had 80% of the dialogue) and hardly ever studied. I am pretty damn good in Trivial Pursuit!
15. I played trombone for 6 years in school and was even 1st chair in All-State Orchestra but never owned an instrument. When I graduated I just stopped playing. 25 years later I could probably pick up a horn, play decently and even sight-read.
16. I am the oldest of four kids and I was horrible to my younger siblings.
17. I was sexually active for almost two years before I actually lost my virginity, a la coitus.
18. I am afraid of drowning in open water and don't even really feel comfortable in a swimming pool.
19. Coffee is something I simply could not live without. ...and it has to be good coffee. I'd rather lick an ashtray then drink Folgers or Maxwell house.
20. My favorite alcoholic drink is a White Russian.
21. When I was younger I had the entire script of Time Bandits memorized and could recite it word for word.
22. I really could care less about sports unless the NY Giants are playing, then I am a full-on lunatic.
23. I have never pierced anything other than my ear.
24. I do not get lonely and I am never bored.
25. I could listen to DJ Shadow's Endtroducing every day for the rest of my life and never be sick of it.
1. My name is actually spelled Mathew, not the typical Matthew. At least that is what appears on my birth certificate. I am not sure exactly why that is but I like to tell people because my mom was still slightly incapacitated from just giving birth to me and being asked how to spell my name.
2. I make friends easily but have a hard time maintaining those friendships with only two ecxeptions: Liz and Diane whom I have known and stayed close to for 31 and 38 years respectively.
3. I am a good worker and have a strong work ethic that I got from my father and grandmother, but I hate working. The only two jobs I have thoroughly enjoyed have been cab driver and web designer.
4. The list of various jobs I have held usually astounds people from door-to-door encyclopedia sales to short order cook to soldier in the Army.
5. I do not sleep enough; I average about 4 hours of sleep a night.
6. If I could do anything in the world for a living, I would be an actor.
7. I once ran into the side of a moving vehicle while crossing the street and knocked myself out cold.
8. I have never been outside of the United States and no further west than Texas.
9. I had open heart surgery when I was 26 years old. I had mitral valve reflux so bad that the doctors could hear the murmur in my carotid (neck) and femoral (groin) arteries.
10. If I could live anywhere in the world I would still be in Connecticut. Manhattan is a close second.
11. I have 1 tattoo on my upper thigh that I drew myself: a chess piece, the knight.
12. I am at an age now where I have lived longer as a married man than I have as a single man.
13. One of my greatest regrets is not going to study for a semester in Florence when I had the oppurtunity.
14. I don't study, never have. I was a good student without studying and was even in plays with large parts (in one I had 80% of the dialogue) and hardly ever studied. I am pretty damn good in Trivial Pursuit!
15. I played trombone for 6 years in school and was even 1st chair in All-State Orchestra but never owned an instrument. When I graduated I just stopped playing. 25 years later I could probably pick up a horn, play decently and even sight-read.
16. I am the oldest of four kids and I was horrible to my younger siblings.
17. I was sexually active for almost two years before I actually lost my virginity, a la coitus.
18. I am afraid of drowning in open water and don't even really feel comfortable in a swimming pool.
19. Coffee is something I simply could not live without. ...and it has to be good coffee. I'd rather lick an ashtray then drink Folgers or Maxwell house.
20. My favorite alcoholic drink is a White Russian.
21. When I was younger I had the entire script of Time Bandits memorized and could recite it word for word.
22. I really could care less about sports unless the NY Giants are playing, then I am a full-on lunatic.
23. I have never pierced anything other than my ear.
24. I do not get lonely and I am never bored.
25. I could listen to DJ Shadow's Endtroducing every day for the rest of my life and never be sick of it.
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