~The World According to Slinky~

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

2010-09-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Those who know us well know that all of our cars are of the sedan/sports variety, with limited storage space and carrying capacity. And since we love camping, and have a large amount of gear, space to carry said gear is insufficient in one vehicle.

In the past, we have taken two cars to our campsites in order to fit all our stuff, but this solution is no longer working for us. We had to find another alternative - and a good solution appeared to be a roof rack and cargo box assembly for the Civic.

I did the research, did some price-comparing, and settled on a Yakima kit from REI. The store prices were very similar to online shops (including shipping and so on), and REI had all the equipment in stock, so that was the natural choice. I headed over there today during my lunch break to purchase the components.

Once the checkout was completed, the question remained: How do I take it all home ?

I was caught in a Catch-22. We have no space in our cars.. therefore we buy a box & roof rack assembly.. now we have no space in our cars to take all the stuff home !

Here was my solution:

I feel fortunate that there were no cops along the short (and stressful) drive to our house.

Interference with Police Process, or Patient Compassion ?

2010-08-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting situation.

On one hand, the paramedic believed that she was helping the patient by preventing the police from tasing her. She interfered to try to generate a resolution to the issue without using physical force. But on the other hand, the paramedic’s actions interfered with police action, and possibly endangered everyone in the room, including herself. It’ll be interesting to see the outcome of the case.

Paramedic's Interference Trial May Be a First in Penn.

(Me ? I wouldn’t have put myself between an officer and a Taser – no matter how much I cared for the patient’s well-being ! It seems in this case that the Taser was the only remaining course of action, and the only appropriate one available.)

Good, Bad and Worst.

2010-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

GOOD: Free coffee.

BAD: Spilling said free coffee all over the laundry room steps while it was still full.

WORST: It was my husband's coffee. :(

I will need to make this up to him somehow.

Something for the "Awwww" files

2010-08-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Sleepy time.. :)

New Member of our Family

2010-08-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Our family has now grown by one.

He is a long-haired Dachsund puppy, named Oscar (for Oscar Mayer Weiner Dog). He is just over two months old, and a mere five pounds.

A few months ago, on a message board that I frequent, the question was asked, "Which is more difficult to care for, a puppy or a baby ?" When I read that question, I thought to myself, "Well, of course it's a baby ! How could a puppy be THAT much work ?"

I was soon to find out.

Having never owned a dog, only cats, the time requirement was a bit of a surprise to me. Danny and I each take shifts, and share in the feeding, watering, pooper-scooping, pee-pee pad changing, and puppy training duties. Needless to say, our little Oscar is much more high-maintenance than our two kitties.

But very worthwhile, of course.

Oscar is a social butterfly. He loves being around people, is happy to see new people, and gets along very well with all the dogs in his puppy school. Everyone at PetSmart always wants to pet him and interact with him because of his magnetic personality. He is smart as well - it took me all of 24 hours to have him responding to either the command or the hand signal for "sit".

He does have his little quirks, such as the excited-pee and a penchant for chasing the cats. He knows he is not supposed to chase them, and backs off when we give him a little water squirt and the "leave it" command. He still goes after them from time to time, knowing full well he is not supposed to. We are still working on this.

Peachie wants nothing to do with him. She meows angrily at him when he gets to close, then runs away. Hopefully he will learn to leave her alone; old cranky kitties and puppies tend not to be a very good combination.

Mocha, on the other hand, is uncharacteristically good with him. I believe she understands that he is just a baby. He has jumped on her and chased after her, without a single retaliatory action on her part. If he gets too crazy, she just walks away. No scratching, hissing or biting. She even plays with his toys, and he with hers. I think this relationship might end up being a good one.

Caring for a new puppy is still a lot of work; like a baby, minus the sleepless nights of course. But it is well worthwhile, to see all the human and animal members of our family all together and happy.

It has started already... yes, it's JULY

2010-07-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

As seen at Sears.

Oh, and the Hallmark store has put up their Christmas ornament display as well. (rolling eyes)

The Best Business Trip Ever...

2010-07-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

.. is one to VEGAS !

Even though Danny and I had already taken our trying-to-be-yearly trip to this most awesome city back in May, I jumped at the chance to speak at a conference about how my company uses this other company's software to manage capacity on our massive network. How could I turn this down ? Five days in Vegas, 3 of which were hard work, and the rest were my choice ? And a nice hotel room and flight to boot. I readily accepted the task.

Danny joined me for four of the days (at our expense of course), and we spent our free time doing some of the things we missed on our first trip: the aquarium at the Luxor, some more sightseeing, and of course, the requisite time at the Pai Gow table. Even though I was exhausted from presenting at the conference and answering questions, there was no need to convince me to do these things. We had to. We were in Vegas !

Add in two company-sponsored open-bar soirees and some good friends from work to kick it with, and we had ourselves an awesome time.

It's going to take a while to recover, however. Sleep deprivation tends to drag one down after a while.

Nice...

2010-06-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

Best. Commercial. Evah.

2010-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

GOT.

2010-06-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

HTC EVO 4G

Make no mistake, this phone is badass. A beautiful 720p screen with HDMI output, rear-facing 8MP camera with dual-LED flash, front-facing camera for videoconferencing, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB internal memory, GPS... all of the things that I wanted in a phone plus more. And, a reliable network to boot.

The most common reaction from all my friends has been "OMG ! Why did you dump your iPhone ?!" They could not believe that I didn't upgrade to the similarly-awesome iPhone 4. When I inform them of my reason, they understand fully, with no further explanation needed:

It was the network.

The AT&T network flat-out sucks ass almost everywhere I go. There is no other way to describe it.

It doesn't work at the gym. It doesn't work at the mall. It is choppy in certain areas of my house. I could be standing right next to Danny, who has Sprint; he would have 4-5 bars, and I would have none. No service. Lovely.

The dealbreaker was when I was late getting into work one morning. That particular day, I had gone to the store to get Daniel some Gatorade for his upset stomach, which meant I would be late for my meeting. I dialed into the meeting at home (which involves calling the number and entering in a 9-digit code) and then started driving to the office.

The call was dropped twice in this 11-mile journey, requiring me to pull my car over to the side of the road and dial back in. TWICE ! Complete loss of signal and complete disconnection of the call.

It was then that I decided that I was done with AT&T.

I admit to being somewhat sad at my final decision. The iPhone 4 is a great phone, very similar to the EVO but without the 4G network support. And being one of the early adopters of the original iPhone 2G, the choice to leave the Apple nation was a painful one.

Perhaps someday, when Apple gets their heads out of their asses and decides to allow their hardware to be used with Sprint, I will go back.

I just need a phone that works on a reliable network, everywhere I like to go. The iPhone 4 on AT&T's network simply could not fit that bill. And the HTC EVO with Sprint could.

That is what's most important, isn't it ?

UPDATE: For those who are wondering, I didn't actually "ditch" my iPhone 2G. It's in my glove box, happily serving as a car iPod. It's great for when satellite radio is playing crap.

Good Luck ? Really ?

2010-06-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Danny and I returned to Monterey, CA to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary.

We loaded up our bicycles and biked the stunningly beautiful beach portion of the 17-mile drive. We walked around Cannery Row. We went back to Lover's Point, the gorgeous setting where we said our vows in front of our closest family and friends. And we made reservations at the Chart House restaurant, where our reception was held - the most awesome steakhouse, with superb food and stunning, sweeping bay views.

Walking towards Chart House, hand in hand, we were dressed to the nines. It was a fancy place, and this was a very important celebration. We were almost to our destination, when I heard a smacking sound from above. And then, something hit me.

It was bird shit.

Yes, that is right. I got shit on by a wayward bird, splattered when the shit hit the power lines above me, all down my shoulder and some in my hair, while on the way to celebrate our first anniversary.

Some say that it is good luck to get crapped on by a bird, but I wasn't feeling fortunate at that particular moment. I raced to the bathroom of the restaurant, and soaked myself with soap and water, removing the nasty, stinky excrement from my fancy blouse and hair.

Problem solved, and we had a lovely dinner, with the best filet mignon we have ever tasted in our lives. Plus a heavenly lava cake dessert, given to us for free by the restaurant staff.

The celebration of the beginning our lives together was well worth the bombing outside of the restaurant. I am just hoping against hope that the bird poop good luck charm lasts for a lifetime, and does not need to be renewed every year.

101 Uses for an Ex's Wedding Dress

2010-06-02T15:33:00.001-07:00

This is both sad and hysterically funny at the same time. I haven't decided whether to laugh or to feel sorry for the poor guy and his two kids that had their worlds turned upside-down, but this guy definitely has a creative side.

Click the "Launch" button on the right-hand side to view the gallery.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37339251/ns/today-today_weddings

And Jesus said “oh, snap!”

2010-05-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

From passiveaggressivenotes.com:

"Another sign of the times: Nick in Tampa, Florida says the sodas in his small office used to be free, but now they cost 50 cents. And yet, Nick says, 'when they’re left out unguarded and unsecured, naturally, people steal them.'

"Eventually, one coworker thought instilling the fear of God would make for a good theft-deterrent…which inspired another coworker to quote scripture in protest of the new drink policy."

Link: [Original post]

The Sharks are Out.

2010-05-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

And I don't want to talk about it. (sulk)

Mark my words - the team will be eviscerated in the offseason.

"Telephone" - Remixed from Afghanistan

2010-05-10T11:28:00.001-07:00

Reposted from Rakesh - some great stuff here. Funny and touching all the same.

Link: [Washington Post Article] - some background here.

Eating Crow

2010-05-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have officially been proven wrong.

In a good way, of course.

The San Jose Sharks have taken the first series from the Colorado Avalanche, in 6 games, to advance to the Conference Semifinals. Many of us fans had our doubts, given the Sharks' horrendous performance in the first round last year, and a shaky start this playoff series. But those doubts have been put to rest, thanks to a great team effort, and an awesome performance by Joe Pavelski. His play to date has been described as "money", which is most appropriate in my opinion.

Previous to this year's playoffs, Pavelski had been known as Little Joe, due to his smaller size and stature in comparison to Big Joe Thornton. However, in these playoffs, Little Joe has been aptly renamed "The Big Pavelski" thanks to his red-hot scoring and playmaking efforts in these two series to date.

The Sharks have gone up 3-0 in this second-round series against the Detroit Red Wings. A win tonight will allow them to advance to the Conference Finals, for only the second time in their history.

This year, they are ready for that challenge.

This year, they are ready to be champions.

Bring it on.

Bahahaha !!!

2010-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge..

Twilight: New Moon

2010-04-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

[Link: People of Walmart.com]

And the Yearly Playoff Meltdown Begins...

2010-04-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Sharks have outdone themselves this time.

Last year, in 2009, they won the President's Trophy for the winningest team in the entire league, and then were quickly and quietly dumped in the first round of the playoffs by the eighth place team. At that time, we thought it couldn't possibly get any worse.

We may be proven wrong in 2010.

This year, they finished first in the Western Conference, and are now down 1-2 in the best-of-seven series, against this year's eighth-place team.

Last night was the epitome of complete and total playoff fuckery, when Dan Boyle put the puck in his own net, winning the game in overtime for the Colorado Avalance.

When is this ever going to end ? The Sharks have been abysmally bad, almost every year, when it really counts - the playoffs. Despite excellent winning records in several seasons, they have only made it to the Conference Finals (3rd round) once in their entire history. Only one year out of the 12 years that they have made the playoffs, have they made it to the third round. And never to the Stanley Cup finals. What is wrong with this picture ?!

If they do not win tonight, they are, for all intents and purposes, done. It shouldn't be this hard to advance to the second round against the 8th place team.

I must admit I have little hope. I really hope I am proven wrong, but this dread in the pit of my stomach will just not go away.

It's Not Easy Becoming Green Part II

2010-04-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

Here are couple of pictures from my Green Belt promotion. I look like crap because I am exhausted and covered in sweat, but you get the idea. :)

Credit for the photos goes to Jud Dagnall Photography. A most excellent and professional photographer !

The gang, including the instructors and the awesome people that helped out.

[Link: Jud Dagnall Photography]

WANT.

2010-03-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sprint unveils its first 4G phone - HTC Evo 4G

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/24/4g.phone/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Lack of 4G network availability notwithstanding, the features on this phone are incredibly cool indeed. 8 Megapixel still camera, 720p video capability, 1 GB Snapdragon processor, 1 GB internal memory, HDMI output, kickstand for possible video calls in the future... the list goes on and on.

With both my original iPhone 2G and the loaner that was so nicely offered to me on the fritz at the moment, the above announcement is tough to ignore.

Can I hang on, limping along with this ancient phone whose sounds don't work at all, and that I can only use with my Bluetooth, until the summer ?

Something tells me it will be worth the wait.

It's Not Easy Becoming Green

2010-03-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Approximately two months ago, I signed up with a new martial arts dojo near my work. My previous dojo was experiencing some issues, and had shut down business for an indeterminate amount of time. Unwilling to suspend my Krav Maga training indefinitely, I found a great place near my work. Ironically, the new place and old place owners were once teacher-student. Small world it is.

Since that day that I signed the paperwork, this dojo has evolved into a family affair. Taking advantage of a group deal whereby two adult members' kids attend classes for free, Danny and I signed up together. He and Daniel attend Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Daniel attends the cardio kickboxing (and possibly Muay Thai in the future), and even Jacqueline has joined the fun and attended the kids' self-defense classes. We arranged our schedules so that we all go on the same days, to maximize together time both there and at home. It has truly become our family fun spot. Bruises notwithstanding.

When we joined, I was an Orange Belt in Krav Maga. The next step, Green Belt, normally requires 8-10 months of training as a prerequisite for testing. Because the previous dojo had taught me most of the Green Belt techniques, and I had practiced them quite often, the new dojo owner invited me to test for my Green. In total, I only had four months of training (plus a 6-week layoff). But he thought I was ready, so I obliged.

The test can be summed up in one word:

OUCH.

It was 3 hours long, not 7 like the previous dojo; however it was the most intense, and most physically and emotionally demanding 3 hours of my entire life. We ran, we did various punches, kicks and skills, we reviewed lower belt material, and finally tested on the Green Belt material. There was many a time where I felt like either passing out or throwing up, but I swore I would not give up, no matter what the examiners threw at us.

My asthma inhaler was my constant companion, and I could barely command my leg muscles to drive my car home when it was all said and done. It was that intense.

Three days later, I was given the news.

I PASSED.

That's right, I successfully passed all the skills and was promoted to Green. I couldn't be more thrilled and honored, especially considering I was the new kid on the block.

As a result of this, it has become painfully obvious that my cardiovascular endurance is terrible. I have pledged to push myself harder at my twice-weekly gym workouts to try to improve this.

From what I hear, the next level (Blue) test is even ten times more intense than this one.

I will be ready. You can count on it.

Aquarium of the Bay

2010-03-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we went to the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco. Although I love aquariums and zoos, for some reason, I had never checked out this little treasure at Pier 39 until this day.

It was a fun and interesting experience, especially walking through the tunnels built on the undersides of the tanks. Looking up at a large shark swimming above you is a special and unique experience.

It is a little pricy, and small compared to other aquariums, but well worth the trip.

This is Something You Don't See Every Day

2010-03-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Scenario:

Cardboard box sitting on the floor in office elevator lobby.

Well-meaning but somewhat clumsy employee walks toward said box, with the intention of picking it up and carrying it to his cube.

Employee trips over his own shoe, and then, inexplicably, lands with his armpit squarely on the corner of the box.

Much pain, and a request for help from our ERT ensues.

In the end, he was fine, and handled the embarrassment of all the attention extremely well. I covered his irritated armpit up with a gauze-wrapped ice pack and sent him off with some encouraging words.

I do not envy him the bruise he undoubtedly has this morning, however.

Winter Fun !

2010-03-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

Approximately three years ago, Danny, Daniel and I made the trek to the mountains to take a stab at snowboarding. I had never boarded before -- I did have quite a bit of experience skiing in my teens, but had never tried a snowboard. Daniel was new to it, as well.

We took lessons on that day, with Daniel and Danny progressing to the point that they could take the larger hills with a reasonable amount of confidence. However, I floundered. For whatever reason, I just could not get the hang of it. I fell, over and over again, once landing on my hip so solidly that I needed to visit the first aid station for a painkiller. It was then that I decided that I needed to go back to skiing.

This winter, we decided to make another trip, and brought Jacqueline along with us for her first snowboarding experience.

We left the house at the ungodly hour of 5:30am and drove to the mountains. It is typically a 3-4 hour drive depending on the conditions. We all took lessons - Danny, Daniel and Jacqueline snowboarding, and me on skis. I took a brush-up lesson because it had honestly been about 20 years. Amazing how time flies.

Regardless of the fact that it was Jacqueline's first time on a snowboard, she picked it up very quickly. Even the instructor was saying she did very well for her first time. There were 4 other boys in the class that were the same age as her, and she did better than most of them. :) She still fell, and was wary of the bigger hills, but she did well on the smaller hill nonetheless.

Danny and I took turns on the bunny hill with Jacqueline and on the bigger hills with Daniel.

During my lesson, I remembered all my skills relatively quickly, and was tearing it up after that. I didn't fall once. Not bad for not being on skis for about 2 decades.

We stayed there until the lifts closed at 4pm, then drove down the highway a bit and stopped at a turnout. We had a snowball fight, built a snow dog (instead of snowman) and then headed home. We dragged ourselves into the house at about 10pm.

And the greatest thing about it ?

We have awesome weather all year round in the Bay Area, and yet we can drive to the snow, do all our fun winter activities... then leave it all behind us and drive home. That is truly a thing of beauty.

Here are some pictures:

Putting on snow chains in shorts and slippers !

Us with all our gear. Except my jacket, which I had left upstairs in the lodge.

Snowball fight !!!

Divided Loyalties

2010-02-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

The Olympic hockey tournament has created an interesting issue for me, and for others, I am sure, who find themselves a similar situation as myself.

Born and raised in Canada, hockey was practically a religion. Everyone followed it, especially myself and my father. There was nothing else on the TV on game nights when the Toronto Maple Leafs suited up. And even though the team has not won a Stanley Cup in over 40 years, they still sell out the entire arena, every single game. That is how deep the hockey devotion runs in the Canadian psyche. It is Canada's sport. It has been for generations.

When I moved to California, my love for hockey never abated. I took to following the San Jose Sharks to feed my addiction. And this year, 2010, was an Olympic year. Meaning, the National Hockey League is put on hold for two weeks, so that its players who were so fortunate to have been selected for their countries' teams would be allowed to represent them on the international stage.

Therein lies my epic struggle: Which team should I root for ?

The Canadian team, the team representing the country of my birth and upbringing ? The country that identifies itself almost solely through the game of hockey ? The team that had FOUR of my San Jose Sharks players represented, including my two favorites (Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau) ?

Or the U.S. team, the team representing the country where I reside; the country that has given me great opportunities and a wonderful family; the same team that Joe Pavelski from my San Jose Sharks represents as well ?

Herein lies the dichotomy. How do I choose which team to support ?

I was thinking about this during the Gold Medal game, where Canada and the U.S. were facing off for the ultimate trophy, and the only conclusion I could come up with is this:

If it were any other sport, such as baseball, basketball or football, that was truly an American game -- a game that Americans identify with as part of their culture -- I would undoubtedy root for the U.S. Even if they were playing Canada. I live here after all, I always will, and am grateful to all that this country has given me.

However, we are talking about hockey here. Canada's sport. Canada's game. The very game for which the country's passion runs deep within my veins, even almost 10 years after I left the country.

As a result, I had to admit to myself that I would be cheering for Canada in this tournament.

Danny glared at me when I made this declaration, especially since he, as a proud American, was rooting for the U.S.

A house divided.

And yesterday, that division continued, during the gold medal game.

Canada was leading 2-1, and were poised to take the goal, until Zach Parise stunned the entire Canadian nation by tying the game with 25 seconds left in regulation. But in overtime, Canada prevailed, with a sudden-death goal by Sidney Crosby to take home the gold.

Even more proof of Canadians' devotion to the game is this: When the U.S. won every game in their tournament up until the gold medal game, only a few of my American friends made comments on Facebook. Yet, when Canada took home the gold, my Facebook page was filled several times over by a huge batch of my Canadian friends cheering and celebrating. I stayed silent on Facebook. No need to rub it in anyone's face -- except Danny's of course, when I jumped around the house screaming and yelling in jubilation after the game-winning goal.

Canada deserved this one. Not just because it was their home ice. Not just because it is their game. But simply because, when it counted the most, they played better hockey. And that is what champions are made of.

This game will go down in history as one of the most intense and thrilling matches in decades of Olympic hockey. Count on it.

Some time after the preliminary game, Danny had a confession. He admitted to me that he cheered internally when Canadian Dany Heatley of our Sharks scored a goal against the U.S. team. Even for him, born and raised American, his loyalties were divided as well.

Now that the tournament is over, the NHL season has resumed, and our house is no longer divided. From this day forward, we all proudly wear the black and teal of the Sharks.

Until 2014, that is.

Heartwarming 911 Call

2010-02-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

This is the best 911 call you will ever hear, from a very brave little girl.

I admit that it almost brought tears to my eyes when she comforted her Dad while calling for help.

A Shameful Day in EMS

2010-02-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

"FDNY EMTs Allegedly Ignore Pregnant Woman in Distress".

This was the headline of the article that arrived in my email box today, from a fellow Emergency Response Team member. I had to read the headline twice, to be sure. A pair of EMTs, on a break from their shift and at a bagel shop, allegedly ignored a pregnant woman who had gone into seizures, and then walked away from the scene without rendering aid.

How could this happen ?

Most people in the EMS industry are in it because they enjoy the work and want to help others. Even though the daily drudgery of papercuts and frequent flyers can wear on one's enthusiasm and cause burnout, all responders and volunteers - no matter how jaded - still understand the duty to act. That duty, spawned from the requirements of the job, and reinforced by one's inner desire to assist others in need, was completely absent from this pair, on this fateful day where a pregnant woman and her unborn child met an untimely death.

Did the EMTs' negligence and refusal to assist contribute to the passing of the patient and her baby ? The investigation, I am certain, will bring that to light. Either way, I am shocked and saddened to learn of the EMTs' blatant disregard for the woman's degenerating condition.

It is a sad and shameful day in EMS, when a responder's coffee and bagel trump the health and well-being of a person in genuine need of assistance.

I hope the prosecutor throws the book at these two. They are a disgrace to the EMS community.

Links:
[FDNY EMTs Allegedly Ignore Pregnant Woman in Distress]
[FDNY EMT in Woman's Death Asked Dispatcher to Hide Name]

This guy is a real charmer.

2010-02-12T19:42:00.001-08:00

"Love stinks! Minn. farmer creates manure valentine"

[Link: Article]

It's About Time

2010-02-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

It just amazes me how one study, done on a sample size of a mere 12 children, and conducted so irresponsibly, could cause such mass hysteria. It just blows my mind how viral this ridiculous so-called study became. The recent retraction is 11.5 years too late.

I am hoping that now, the public would not rely on their critical medical information from sources as a former Playboy model with no scientific background, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

"The medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday retracted a controversial 1998 paper that linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism.

"The study subsequently had been discredited, and last week, the lead author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, was found to have acted unethically in conducting the research."

[Link: Article]

The Story of My Morning

2010-02-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

Ouch.

2010-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

You know you're getting older when...

...you injure your back with a fucking sneeze.

Yup, you read that right. I sneezed rather violently two weeks ago, and immediately doubled over in pain. My lower back completely spasmed, rendering me unable to walk comfortably or sleep. Even Advil, which normally knocks out my worst aches and pains, could barely touch this. It is possible that hauling around my huge EMT bag to three separate calls that day may have contributed to the problem, however it was the sneeze that broke the camel's back. So to speak.

My chiropractor, roughly the same age as me, had experienced a similar incident about a year ago. For him, it took three whole weeks of light duty, stretches and muscle therapy, to render him operational again.

So that is what I must do. No huge EMT bag for me; I must use my car pack. I stand most of the day at work, as it hurts to sit. And since my dojo is shut down for a facility move, I won't go to Krav Maga either.

Getting older sucks.

In Honor of Valentine's Day

2010-01-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

Soothing a Child in Distress

2009-12-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the tones went out for an allergic reaction with one of the children at my company's daycare. Immediately, the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

We had run on this boy before. Rather unfortunately, the poor little guy is allergic to just about everything - milk, eggs, soy, peas, shrimp - the list goes on and on. His past reactions, even those by simple contact, had included hives and swelling - hence the urgency of the call.

When I arrived, I noticed the hives, and thankfully saw no swelling. As I approached him to listen to his lungs, gloves on and stethoscope in my ears, I wondered how he would react to my rather intrustive assessment. Before putting the stethoscope on his chest, I got down to his level, smiled at him, let him touch the end of the scope, and then pressed it against his chest.

Not a peep escaped him. And as an added bonus, his lung sounds were clear.

Of course, when the big burly medics arrived, our 18-month-old patient screamed bloody murder, and was only consolable by his father. But for the brief moments that I was with him, he was relatively calm.

I'd say that is a win.

And even better, his reaction subsided quickly, due to the quick action of his caregivers to inject Benadryl at the first signs of trouble.

With the most impeccable timing, the EMTs on our Emergency Response Team had just recently been issued the most awesome oxygen delivery mechanism for children ever - devices in the shape and colors of toy bears. Our little patient took to this bear immediately, and seemed to even be calmed by its presence. Having the bear was a win-win, as it delivered needed blow-by oxygen, and it comforted the child by giving him something to cuddle.

I highly recommend the bear to anyone who comes into contact with small children requiring blow-by oxygen delivery. Consider me a huge fan now.

Simple Math

2009-12-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

I clean the cats' litterboxes every other day; meaning, once every two days.

An even number.

There are 365 days in a year.

An odd number.

So why is it, then, that every single year on my birthday, I need to scoop shitboxes ?

I don't get it.

Unwanted Birthday Present

2009-12-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

.. a huge, multi-pore pimple right between my eyebrows. >:(

Oh well... time to bust out the makeup.

Enter Sandman

2009-12-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

Good: Metallica concert Saturday night, decent seats with full view of the stage, and lots of new and seasoned fans rockin' out.

Bad: Tripping on the stairs on the way back to my seat, spilling my newly-purchased popcorn and severely bruising one forearm and one knee. :(

It was worth the pain... and the ugly discoloration.

A few pictures that my coworker took from his vantage point close to the stage:

Make it STOP !! Part II

2009-12-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

The Animaniacs, doing the Macadamia.

I like this better than the original, to be honest.

From the Mouth of Babes

2009-12-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Me (to adorable 5-year-old): "What would you like for Christmas, sweetie ?"

Her: "A robot to do my chores !"

HAHA ! I'll get right on that. Actually, I want one of those, too.

Awesome Vacation Weekend

2009-11-30T12:13:00.001-08:00

Guess who did all of this in one four-day weekend ?

- Family get-together on Thanksgiving
- Jump houses, pool, air hockey and ping pong at CityBeach on Friday
- Shopping and Harry Potter movie on Saturday
- Bocce Ball on Sunday

And lots of laughs in between, of course. :)

My family rocks. I love our life.

Make it STOP !!

2009-11-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

The satellite radio throwback station was playing the Macarena at the gym this morning while I was in the shower.

I could... not... escape... it.

And people wonder why I have my iPod glued to my ears for the greatest amount of time possible while I'm there. (eyeroll)

The Italian Passtime

2009-11-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

As seen on the menu at Campo di Bocce, a most awesome Bocce Ball place that I took Danny and Jacqueline to earlier today:

"God gave you two hands, one for the bocce ball, and one for your glass of wine !"

Love it.

Bocce Ball is such a great game, so easy to learn and very family-friendly. It took only a short time to pick it up, and after that, the game was ON ! Jacqueline and I narrowly beat Danny by 3 measly points.

I am sure a rematch is in the works soon.

Oops.

2009-11-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Note to self: The bottle of vanilla extract, and the bottle of green food coloring, look identical from the back.

Don't mistake one for the other when trying to bake. Otherwise, you may end up with peanut butter cookies in a lovely shade of green.

Not that this happened to me, of course. (innocent look)

One small step...

2009-11-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

I am now an Orange Belt in Krav Maga. Woohoo !

Of course, this is only one small step toward the coveted black belt. I have many more months of training, many more bruises, and many more sparring sessions before I even approach that level. But this was one more rung in the ladder that I have conquered.

I spent Seven. Hours. at the dojo today. I am somewhat mobile now, but I know I will be hurting tomorrow, in a big way.

It was well worth it.

I Am Canadian.

2009-11-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

Racist Asshole Justice Resigns

2009-11-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

AP: La. justice quits after interracial wed flap

What makes me so angry is the fact that he thinks he has the right to decide who should marry whom, and decide what effect the race of the bride and groom may have on their existing or future children.

I hope the civil lawsuit strips that pompous, racist jerk of every penny he possesses.

It's Official.

2009-11-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

5:30am meetings really suck.

I'm sure it sucked just as badly for my teammate in Singapore, who was also on the meeting, at 9:30pm his time. Such is life when one is on a global team.

There is a silver lining to this torture, however. Now that I am in this new (and awesome) group, most of my meetings are in the mornings. This means I get to go home at a decent hour, make dinner, and spend quality time with my family every night.

That alone makes it all worthwhile.

Time for a fresh cup of coffee.

Blasphemy.

2009-10-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ferry Corsten, remixing The Killers.

Horrible. Nauseating, even.

I can't muster any more words to describe this travesty.

Ferry has been my very favorite DJ/Producer for several years. And now, I am sad to say, I have lost some respect for him.

The Killers ? Seriously ? (shaking head)

The Most Perfect Brownies EVER

2009-10-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

I believe I have now created the most PERFECT brownies ever to exist on the face of this earth.

Juicy, moist, chocolatey... and with perfectly portioned pieces. Can it possibly get any better than this ?

So what are my secrets ?

Ghirardelli brownie mix (the best brownies EVER), and a special pan that sections the brownies off before you bake them.

Ghirardelli brownies are so moist and chewy that slicing them used to result in a big, huge sticky brownie mess. With this pan, they come out absolutely perfect.

(Note, this isn't the pan that was advertised on the infomercial. I got it from Bed, Bath and Beyond.)

These aren't going to last long in our house.

Jacqueline's Birthday !

2009-10-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are a few pictures of Jacquline's birthday party.

She wanted a kitty theme for her special shindig, however none of the party stores stocked any items that were cats. They had dogs, but not cats. Jacqueline joked that people are racist against cats. haha :)

Luckily for us, I found a most adorable kitty themed party set that did the trick just perfectly. Add in a custom Baskin Robin's cake, and some awesome friends and family, and we had a PARTY !

(Notice the resemblance to Mr. Mittens and Peachie ? That is not a coincidence.)

That's a Swarovski crystal of a cartoon lion. So absolutely cute, and perfect for her own collection.

Exhausted -- But In a Good Way

2009-10-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

I am back from my stay in Southern California at the Society for Women Engineers national conference.

It was an exhausting three days. In addition to interviewing young college grads and soon-to-be-grads for positions within my company's IT department, I also had time to attend a couple of leadership, coaching and mentoring seminars. This conference is not just for women to help them find jobs; it's a total career builder, with seminars ranging from what to wear to interviews to how to succeed in the workplace.

During a rather brutal two days of interviews and booth duty, I met and spoke with some of the most intelligent, talented and interesting women I have ever interacted with in my life. Just hearing these women's stories and what makes them tick was fascinating to me. I am so honored to have been chosen for this duty, and I sincerely hope that the eight final candidates I recommended for hire will be brought onto our company.

Of course, we were allowed some time to unwind after a gruelling two days. What better way to do so than a nice juicy steak, chocolate cake and a Mai Tai cocktail ?

(Don't worry, that wasn't the shirt I wore at the conference.)

My most awesome and hard-working co-workers and I had a blast, and there is already talk of another conference to attend in one year's time.

I am so there.

CPR Squirrels

2009-10-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

2009-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I was selected by my company's IT department to represent it at a national women engineers' conference. That conference is fast approaching, with the final preparations falling into place.

My bags are (mostly) packed, flights and hotels are booked, and all the paperwork and information I need to fulfill my role as interviewer for prospective new employees is in hand. I am a little nervous, but very excited and honored to be fulfilling this role for my department.

I'm not terribly thrilled, however, at leaving my family for three days. I booked the trip for the absolute minimum away-time possible, arriving a full day later than my coworkers. The only non-work activity I will be doing is visiting my sister-in-law and her family before I get on the plane to come home.

While we were discussing my imminent departure, Daniel piped up,

"Hey. What are we going to eat while you're gone ? Man, this sucks. We won't have anyone to cook for us. And it'll be WAY too quiet in here."

Well, it's nice to know that I'm appreciated, and will be missed. hehe :)

The Storm Has Arrived

2009-10-13T17:25:00.001-07:00

And apparently, it's the worst storm in the Bay Area since 1962.

Traffic is insane. Spinouts and accidents everywhere, so many that the Sigalert website isn't even showing the multitude of accidents right now. I am so glad I came home early, and finished my workday from the safety of my dining room.

Welcome to winter, California.

Hell Has Frozen Over

2009-10-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I heard these words from Daniel's mouth, words that I never though I would hear in a million years:

"I want to go back to school !"

Due to a severe flu, high fever and general sickness, he was quarantined at home all last week. As with any viral illness, the only treatment is to address the symptoms, rest, cover one's cough and wash one's hands often. Robbed of the privilege of seeing his friends, attending his very interesting and enjoyable Construction class, and socializing face-to-face for an entire week, Daniel was one restless teenager. We tried our best to take care of him, but that was all we could do. Home confinement was necessary due to the contagious nature of the illness.

His fever finally broke on Saturday, which meant he was free to leave the house with us on Sunday. He still has a persistent cough, for which he is going to the doctor tomorrow.

And he is back in school.

Right where he wants to be.

For the first time, I think, in his life.

Ouch.

2009-10-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

You know you're in for the ass-whooping of your life when your Krav Maga instructor tells everyone before class, "Go get a drink of water before we start. You're going to need it."

Everything. Hurts.

Time for some more Advil.

Catching Up

2009-10-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

The recent reorg at my work has rendered me excruciatingly busy during the day, and without much energy to post on this blog. So, to get everyone caught up on my life in brief, here are some of the highlights. :)

My company has been telling us all year that we may not receive bonuses because of the terrible economy. We received the best surprise ever when we were told that yes, we were in fact receiving bonuses. And because my performance review was high, I was given a nice amount, enough to increase my savings to their pre-recession level. I am ecstatic, and very thankful for this unexpected gift from my employer.

I have been chosen to represent my company's IT department at a national conference for women engineers. I'm nervous as heck, but honored and humbled by the appointment.

Our softball team made it to the championships, and then lost in the final game by a score of 17-7. :(

I finally replaced the stupid piece of shit alarm system in my car that used to beep like crazy when there was a swaying tree 20 feet above it, and used to never turn off or on unless I was 1" away from the car with the remote to my chin. Good riddance.

Jacqueline turned 12 at the end of September. We had her party at our house, with a cute kitty theme. Pictures to follow !

Daniel has been off school all this week with a bad flu. We have been washing our hands often and treating his symptoms with rest and medication. The doctor's office thinks it might be H1N1, so nobody but family is allowed over at our house right now. I feel so bad for him. :(

That's all for now.. more later. :)

In Honor of Softball Playoffs

2009-09-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

Yum Yum Kitty

2009-09-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

Some kitty REALLY likes his food... either that, or he hates the person messing with him while he eats. :)

Wedding Pictures #2

2009-09-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

I have been off the radar in the last couple of weeks, for the main reason that we have been going through some 700+ wedding photos, picking the best ones, and then working on creating a wedding album. It is my pleasure to say that we are finally DONE.

We chose just over 300 professional photos to keep. It was a difficult and ardurous task, as there were up to 6 shots of the same pose at times, and time and care had to be taken to pick the one that had no squinting, eyes closed, hair flying everywhere, etc. We are very pleased with the results.

Here are a few for your enjoyment:

I did our wedding album scrapbook-style, with some inexpensive scrapbooking software. I can't wait to see the final version in hardcover, leather-bound print, ordered for a ridiculously cheap price from an online book printer. Gotta love the Internet. :)

Riddle Me This

2009-09-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

How is it possible to lose two out of three games in a series... after only giving up four measly runs in total ?

Ask the Giants. We are so unimpressed.

Thick in the race for a wild card playoff spot, and the entire team can only muster five runs over three games. I would hate to be the pitchers that only gave up one and two runs in a game, and were handed the loss, because of lack of run support.

Someone needs to light a fire under those bats. And it had better be soon.

Christmas is Coming ?!

2009-08-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today, while perusing the Swarovski store for possible additions to my collection, I happened upon a shelf marked with "New".

It was populated with their 2009 Christmas collection.

It is August. August !! 90 degrees outside ! Kids barely back in school ! 2 months before Halloween ! And the Christmas push is already on.

Later in our shopping trip, we headed into the Hallmark store. Right there, by the front entrance as we walked in, was a huge rack of ornaments and baubles, all with the Christmas theme.

It has started.

Lord, help me. (shaking head)

Danny is a Superstar

2009-08-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

The owner at Danny's work is also the lucky owner of several season's tickets to the Giants games. As a gesture of goodwill toward his employees, if he is unable to attend a game, he often gives tickets away to his employees. Last night, we were the recipients of this good fortune.

The seats are SPECTACULAR. 15 rows back from the field, directly behind the Giants dugout. Servers come around and take our food orders, then deliver it to us for a nominal extra charge. Players habitually toss balls into the area after an inning. The view is awesome, and it is prime location for foul balls. Hands down, these are our favorite seats to sit in. And last night gave us yet another reason to love them.

We found out via text message that Danny was on TV during the first inning. The camera was on the people behind us, but you can see him clearly in the shot:

(EDIT: I think I finally fixed the issue that was causing Blogger to display the picture upside-down.)

Nobody looks very happy in that shot, for the simple reason that the Giants were playing HORRIBLY. In the first inning alone, they made two boneheaded mistakes that cost them a run, and we, the fans, were none too pleased.

Until the 8th inning.

The Giants managed to put two runners on base, after 7 innings of weak and ineffectual hitting. And in an unexpected move, the manager brought in the slightly-injured Bengie Molina to pinch-hit. The crowd went wild.

We all know Bengie is an incredible hitter, this year's stats aside. He has always been money in clutch situations. And his appearance, with two outs in the 8th, invigorated the crowd. We started chanting, "Bengie ! Bengie !".

Fueled by the support of his fans, Bengie took one massive swing, and belted the ball out of the park to take the lead. A 3-run home run that turned out to be the game winner. We all went ballistic. Our throats were hurting from all the screaming. Bengie had come through, and our team had won the game.

It was VERY tough to sleep last night after that adrenaline rush.

Now let's see if they can keep the momentum going towards the playoffs. A wild card spot is within reach. They just need to keep scoring runs.

Hehehe..

2009-08-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Source: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

Another Reason Why I am Afraid of Heights...

2009-08-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

24 people were suspended in the air from a Great America roller coaster for up to five hours yesterday. Luckily the ride broke down while the riders were right-side-up, however some were tipped forward and others were tipped backward. It is a miracle that nobody was hurt.

My friend's son was at the park at the time of the incident. He will be seeking a refund, as a third of the park was shut down during the rescue.

Scary stuff. Yet another reason for me to be afraid of heights.

Link: [Article]

Protection

2009-08-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

As with any sport that involves fast-flying objects, there is always a risk of injury in softball. Especially since my preferred position is infield, and I play with guys who can scream a line drive whenever and wherever they wish. Last night's game was no exception to this.

We were out on the field, warming up for the game, when a new player for our team stepped in the box. He then proceeded to wail three straight hot ground balls in my direction. I handled them just fine, until the third one, looking quite routine, bounced close to the ground towards my positioned glove. Then, at the very last second, it took a funny hop, and walloped me right in the chest.

As many women will attest, this is not a comfortable experience. Certainly not to the level of a mid-section shot to a man, but still. My teammates all yelled "OW" in response to the impact. With the exception of my good friend AJ, who piped up, "Suck it up, Slink !"

So I did. And I have a nice big raspberry this morning to prove it.

But the worst part ? It happened in PRACTICE. I couldn't even say I took one for the team.

Oh well.

Given this incident, and the tendency of one particular female I tend to get partnered up with in Krav Maga -- who continually misses my abdomen and punches me in the boobs -- I think it's time for one of these.

Slinky Kitty

2009-08-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs....

Fun in the Sun

2009-07-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we packed up the kids and headed to Southern California for our yearly visit to Huntington Beach. As always, our main purpose was to visit Danny's sister and her family. Normally, on these trips, we take one day to go to a theme park or some other attraction. This year, Danny had the brilliant idea of taking a little road trip -- to Sea World, in San Diego.

I had never been to Sea World before, and I must say, this is now one of my very favorite places in this state to visit. The shows were incredible, and the animal exhibits and aquariums were exceptionally well done. It was a full day of entertainment for us. Here are some pictures.

Killer whale show:

Dolphin and Pilot Whale show:

Pet show (it is amazing what they trained these cats and dogs to do, especially the CATS):

We actually got to PET and FEED these huge stingrays, which was the most awesome experience, especially since the stingray sucks the fish off your hand so strongly, you feel as if your hand is going into its mouth:

We all did boogie boarding, including Jacqueline:

And of course, the very best attraction ever, is this beautiful face:

She even took her first steps in her playgroup that weekend. :) We can't wait to see her again soon.

On a more serious note..

2009-07-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

This is a great government program that can help homeowners refinance or modify their home loans, even if the value is currently less than the equity in the home.

I wish I'd known about this before the interest rates jumped up by a ton, but at least we're going to save a significant amount per month once the refi goes through. Pass on the link ! The more people know about it, the more people can take advantage of it.

Vonage Sucks

2009-06-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Approximately four years ago, I enlisted the services of Vonage for my home phone. Since cell phone charges to my family in Canada are ridiculous, having a relatively low-cost solution for a home phone made perfect fiscal sense. At the time, it seemed like a great idea. Until we moved into our house.

Between Danny, the kids and I, we have four desktop computers, a Netbook, my iPhone, Danny's iPod Touch, and a Playstation 3 -- all hooked up to our home network. And at the time, our Internet access was via AT&T DSL. Eventually we started noticing a pattern: Anytime someone was on the Internet, downloading any kind of data, the voice quality went straight to the toilet.

I tried moving the Vonage device 4 feet away from the cordless phones, and configuring my router to tag the voice packets as high-priority. I even replaced the flaky router with better hardware. Still, there was no improvement. So we took the plunge and switched to Comcast Cable's phone, Internet and TV package.

I called Vonage to cancel the service, and ended up speaking to a very... brash lady on the phone. This woman kept repeatedly harassing me about the reasons for my disconnection, which I answered curtly with "I am not interested in fixing the technical issues, please cancel my service." She was a true bonehead, and obviously wasn't listening to a word of what I was saying.

Still this woman persisted, and she absolutely would not let me get off the phone until I agreed to a free month. I told her again and again that we had already migrated off the Vonage solution, that we were using Comcast, and that we had no intention of using Vonage anymore. Still, she persisted, so I agreed just to get her to process my cancellation.

Until two weeks ago, when I received notice of last month's charges.

What The Hell !?!

As it turns out, the bitchy woman on the phone had kept my account open, instead of cancelling it like I had repeatedly asked her to -- and lo and behold, they had started charging me again when their so-called "free month" had expired.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

I called Customer Service again, only to get another bitchy lady who kept asking question after question about the technical issues. Finally, I lost my patience, and yelled at her very strongly to just cancel my goddamned service ! What part of "CANCEL MY SERVICE" don't these idiots understand ? And to top it all off, she "could not" process a refund for the amount that they had charged me, and "could not" transfer me to the billing department to take care of that.

I hung up on her.

Luckily the next person I got in billing was able to process the credit just fine.

And the kicker ?

The idiots had the fucking nerve to call me last week, telling me about these "wonderful new promotions" that they had in effect.

I told that guy to never, ever call me again, and hung up on him, too.

Word to the wise: DO NOT USE VONAGE. They are liars, theives and harassing abusers who don't give a damn about their customers. They only care about making a buck.

They got the last buck out of me. And now I'm telling everyone I know to stay away from them at all cost.

Use Comcast instead. We've had it now for several weeks, and it works just beautifully.

To hell with Vonage. Comcast rocks.

Free the Children

2009-06-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have not, and will not, shed any tears for the untimely passing of Michael Jackson.

In my mind, a child molester has died, and as a result, he cannot ruin any more kids' lives with his perversions. Nor can he screw up his own kids' lives further by forcing them not to show their faces in public.

No matter how good his music was, he still was a molester.

And he did the world a favor by leaving it.

Lessons Learned from Jon & Kate

2009-06-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

It was all over the news this morning that Jon & Kate, the parents of twins and sextuplets, and subject of the reality series "Jon & Kate Plus 8", are divorcing. Not really a big surprise there, although I feel terrible for the kids. Just an observation from this saga, and from my own life and the lives of those around me:

Criticizing, nagging, berating and undermining your spouse is one of the quickest, easiest and most effective ways to erode away any love that that person may feel for you.

I've seen this phenomenon with people around me throughout my life, and the common theme was how one treated the other. Sometimes the aggressor was the man, sometimes it was the woman, but the outcome was the same.

How can you feel loving towards someone who yells at you all the time ? How can you feel affection towards someone that puts you down, berates you, undermines you in front of your kids, and treats you like a second-class citizen ? In all cases that I have seen, the person who is the recipient of this treatment withdraws, to avoid more criticism and anger. And the end result is the same: The love, affection and intimacy dies a slow and painful death.

And while I do not condone cheating in any way, shape or form, I do not blame Jon for withdrawing from the person who was supposed to love him, but treated him like someone would kick a dog. I wish these two had wised up and gone to marital counseling before it came to this, but now, I think it's too late.

I feel really, really sad for those children. They are the innocent victims in all of this.

Highway Robbery

2009-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

For the past several months, the glove box on my car has been giving us some trouble.

It has only been opening when it felt like it, which made it quite difficult to access the iPod cable located inside. Through much fiddling some time ago, Daniel was able to figure out a nifty way to open it, by pressing his left thumb against the left side of the handle, and pulling on the right side of the handle with his fingers. Still, I wanted to take it in to determine if there was an inexpensive way to fix the annoyance once and for all.

I went to the BMW dealership, as I figured they would have stock of any parts that would be needed. Normally, I take my car to a local performance shop for all its work, but I wanted a quick and easy fix to this issue. The dealer seemed like the logical choice.

Boy, was I wrong.

In the hour and a half that I spent at the dealership, they did a full inspection of my car, and even washed and vacuumed it. That, in itself, was greatly appreciated, along with the strong coffee and availability of wireless Internet. What I did not expect was their estimation of the cost to fix my glove box.

$430.

That's right. $430 to fix a glove box, over $200 of which was parts.

They also quoted me several thousand dollars for some other repairs that I know needed to be done. I declined, because I can have those done much cheaper at my regular shop.

I thanked them profusely for their time, and left, shaking my head in disbelief. I simply could not believe that replacing something so simple as a glove box would cost that much. That money is better suited to my bank account than with the dealership, thank you.

Later on that night, my trunk wouldn't open. And neither would the glove box.

What the hell ?

Through much fiddling, I managed to figure out that the dealership had locked my glove box after inspecting it. The box has a cool feature (that I never use) whereby you can use your key to lock it. And when I went to inspect why it wasn't opening, I found out that it had been locked by the dealer.

Why did they lock it ? Did they expect that I would be dumb enough to think it wasn't opening at all, and then come back in for the $430 repairs ?

I unlocked the glove box, which also allowed me to open my trunk. And in fiddling with the handle on the glove box, I noticed that there was a screw loose on the left side of it.

Using my manual screwdriver from my trusty work toolkit, I tightened the screw.

And the glove box opened perfectly. Without even using the special trick.

Son of a bitch.

That dealership can suck it. Conniving thieves, all of them.

Some Honeymoon Pictures

2009-06-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Us at the Luau:

On an active volcano:

ATV riding by the sea cliffs:

Zip lining:

On this zipline, I am 250 feet high, and on a line 600 feet long. YIKES !! I am smiling in the picture, but am scared out of my mind. :)

And the final picture, brought to you from a nice glass-bottom coral and dolphin-watching boat cruise that we took. The entertainment of the afternoon was a Hawaiian lady who performed various traditional and non-traditional Hawaiian songs and dances. As part of her routine, she taught the audience members a simple dance to do. Knowing that this might be a trap, Danny and I chose not to participate. We were correct in our prediction.

After the instructional session, she went through the audience, picking out the most enthusiastic of particpants. She then brought them to the stage, gave them various accoutrements, and had them perform the dance for everyone's amusement.

Fun times. :)

Some Wedding Pictures

2009-06-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

Sportsmanship

2009-06-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a kid, it was always customary after playing a game or sport, to shake the hands of the other team. It was a sign of respect, not only for one's opponents, but for the spirit of the game itself. Even when our team was thoroughly whipped, we always sucked up our pride, and shook hands with the other team. It was just what we did, and what we still do, playing as adults.

LeBron James didn't see fit to offer the same respect to the team who unseated his team to advance to the NBA Finals. And to that, I say, LeBron has lowered himself to the level of a spoiled rotten child who cannot handle the disappointment of defeat.

I'm sure he is used to winning. Drafted directly from high school, he was a prodigy in his own right; a ridiculously-talented player who made even seasoned professionals stand and stare in awe. He was being compared to Michael Jordan before he was legally allowed to drink alcohol. He is accustomed to winning, accustomed to being the best, accustomed to getting whatever he wants all the time.

Yet, when the Orlando Magic decisively beat his Cleveland Cavaliers to advance to the finals yesterday, he stormed off in a huff, refusing to shake hands, and refusing to talk to the media. Just up and left, while his teammates showed respect for the other team, and shared their thoughts with the journalists.

Inexcusable.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that his display of outright contempt is an embarrassment to the NBA, and a disgrace to the Cavaliers.

The thousands of children who look up to LeBron deserve a model of sportsmanship, respect and fair play, win or lose. These are the values that all children are taught, from a very young age, in Little League, schools, and sports leagues everywhere. His refusal to show respect to the team who beat him sets a terrible example for his young fans, and casts a dark shadow on the game itself.

Being a good athlete alone does not make one a good person. And it does not make one worthy or deserving of the admiration and the devout following of America's children.

He needs to grow the hell up, and realize that he's not going to win every game, every season, every championship. And when he gets beat, he needs to suck up his pride, and show respect to the team who beat him. That's what a true sportsman does. That's what a true hero does.

LeBron has a long way to go to become that.

Glad He Didn't Talk Me Out of It

2009-05-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Our new NetBook(mini laptop) was an absolute godsend on our honeymoon.

While attempting to book our various awesome activities on Hawaii Active, I discovered that the website hard crashes my iPhone.

As in, a complete system freeze, that requires the simultaneous two-button push to reboot.

The 3lb., easy-to-carry, super-convenient laptop was perfect for the job.

And on the way home, in the middle of a 3.5 hour layover in Honolulu, we loaded up the laptop with Sopcast, and watched Major League Baseball -- live, in the airport.

It was worth every single penny.

Hidden Fees

2009-05-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

While waiting in line at the airport to check in, we were guided to the now-standard check-in machines. I had completely forgotten to check in online, so this was the route we had to take. When asked how many checked bags we had, we informed the lady that we had two.

"Two checked bags. That'll be $30 please."

$30 !? What the hell ?

Apparently, on Hawaiian Airlines, every single checked bag is considered "excess". So, to check in our one suitcase and one rolling duffel, we had to shell out $30, right there at the airport. Many fellow travelers were caught off-guard by this, causing long lines and much frustration. We were fortunate to have shown up early, as we arrived at the gate with only a few minutes to spare.

This is the reality of the post-bankruptcy airline industry, and recession-laced economy. They charged us $30 to check our bags. They charged us $15 to rent a portable entertainment system with movies and the like for the flight. And yet, stunningly, they did something that I have not seen in years on an airline: They served a free meal.

Now tell me, how does that make any sense ? Charge us for everything that we absolutely require, such as bringing our belongings with us, but then give us a free crappy meal as compensation ? Sorry, but that just doesn't make it alright. And the little breakfast burrito would have been nice, had it not been riddled with onions -- onions that I hate, and that give Danny horrendous heartburn.

We passed on the free meal, but did enjoy the muffin.

I'll take free checked bags over that muffin any day. But I know the airline industry isn't listening.

Talk Me Out of It !

2009-05-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

When my good friend Ed told me that he had bought a NetBook (a mini-laptop), for traveling and convenience, I thought "Wow, what a great idea ! A nice-to-have, but a good one at that !"

I have an iPhone, which is great for looking up information, but is not always reliable. Some websites do not work on it (or crash it completely). It is very awkward to do even moderately complicated searches on it. And forget about any websites that happen to have Flash on them. A NetBook would solve all these problems, and in addition, would keep me safe from any issues that may happen when traveling with my work computer.

So, when Danny, my parents and I went to Fry's, I just happened to spot one of these. A NetBook, with decent processor speed and memory, a nice sized hard drive, and only three little pounds.

On. Sale.

And cheaper than the online price.

I grabbed Danny. "Talk me out of it," I begged. "We are going on our honeymoon tomorrow. I know I don't need one of these, but one would be so cool, and so convenient."

With a thoughtful look on his face, he replied, "You know, something like that would be really great for us."

He didn't talk me out of it, because it was a damned good idea.

We walked out of the store, with a nice little box in our cart, containing our new computer.

I can't wait to make good use of it. Something tells me I will.

Basking

2009-05-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

Four straight days in the glorious Northern California sun, in downtown Monterey, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Oakland Zoo and the San Francisco Giants stadium, really takes a toll on one's energy level.

We are so wiped out right now, but for good reason; as our adventures were all in the company of my most awesome Canadian friends and family.

We are so honored and humbled by those who traveled great distances, from as far away as Canada, Huntington Beach, Redding and Reno, to witness us exchanging our vows.

We are truly blessed.

But now, it is time to rehydrate, and relax, as more adventures await us tomorrow, as we go wine tasting in Napa.

The best vacation is a busy one. And this most definitely qualifies.

Perfect Day

2009-05-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our wedding day was nothing short of perfect.

The weather was absolutely beautiful, with the sun peeking out of the light clouds, basking the ocean waters with flecks of light, as the waves crashed against the rocks and lapped onto the light brown sand. The sounds of rustling leaves and calling seagulls permeated the waves moving onto the shore. It was pure nature, in its raw and most beautiful form, as the backdrop to our wedding.

The ceremony was moving and emotional, given most beautifully by the officiant. Our selection of recessional music, "Let's Get It Started" by Black Eyed Peas, elicited amused giggles from our friends and family who attended. And the reception dinner was nothing short of awesome -- food that was to die for, a cake that shocked even myself at its intricacy and beauty, and a guest appearance by some frolicky sea otters, swimming and playing in the Monterey Bay in full view of our party, which was seated beside the sweeping windows of the restaurant.

To everyone who attended, everything went beautifully. However, it was not without its crises beforehand.

The first issue was my dress. It is a unique and beautiful shape and design, however it had to be modified to fit my short 5'3" frame. On my third -- and supposedly final -- fitting, it was just not right. There was some material bunching up by my hip, that made it looked wrinkled. The seamstress promised to have it ready by the next day (Thursday), and I returned that day to retrieve it. However, it sill did not fit properly.

"Well," I told her, "You have to fix it today. We are leaving for Monterey tomorrow, and I need to take my dress tonight." She promised to make that possible.

Three hours, and five more try-ons later, and she finally fixed the issue to my satisfaction. I am not a seamstress, and do not understand what the hell the problem was, but this was a whole boatload of stress I did not need that day.

The second issue was dinner on Friday night. The plan was to gather my two sisters and their families, my parents, Danny's sister and her family, and us, and go to a nice Italian restaurant in Monterey. I made reservations, printed out Mapquest directions from the hotel (including the phone number for the restaurant), and handed them to each family unit. We all headed out in time for 7pm.

Everyone made it there, except my parents.

We tried calling them, to no avail. My dad, who has always been frugal and smart with money, had his phone off. A Canadian cell phone, receiving and making calls in the US, would rack up an astronomical bill. My father did have a U.S. pay-as-you-go phone, but had not yet put minutes on it. As a result, the parental units were unreachable. So we waited. And waited. And snacked on bread and appetizers.

One hour later, and Danny's sister and her family had to leave, as their baby started having a meltdown of extreme proportion. They took a very bored Daniel with them, leaving Danny and I and my two sisters waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more.

Finally, an hour and a half after the scheduled time, I received a call from my father.

He and my mother were at the wrong restaurant.

They had a GPS, and the printed directions from me, but even so, they ended up at the wrong restaurant.

As it turns out, my brother-in-law had mentioned this other restaurant as a place that he wanted to go sometime, and my parents had confused that with the place that we were supposed to go to that night. Over the phone, I gave them the address to the correct establishment, and finally, they made it there. Two hours after the scheduled time.

All was well in the world, when we finally had some most delicious and quite authentic Italian food in our stomachs, and when we met the very nice manager who was also Italian, with whom my dad had a spirited conversation in his native language.

And the final issue was the day of the wedding.

I had booked a nice spa pampering for my sisters, myself and Jacqueline, at a place called "Spa on the Plaza" in Monterey. On the wedding morning, my father dropped us all off at a Cannery Row hotel with a huge sign that said "Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa".

It was the wrong place.

And, because my father still hadn't added minutes to the phone, I had no way to contact him. The mix-up was completely was my fault; I had just assumed that it was the right place, because the names were so close. But they were, in fact, two different establishments.

We pleaded with the concierge to call us a taxi, and he did one better -- he drove us there himself. We gave him a hefty $40 tip for his kindness.

Once in the spa, and halfway through my hairdo, I also realized I had forgotten my hair clips. My most awesome husband-to-be was kind enough to bring them there. And if that wasn't enough stress for the day, my brother-in-law had taken the only van to go golfing, and left my parents with the car, which did not have enough room to transport us all.

So Danny and my other brother-in-law had to drive us around in separate cars from the spa, to lunch, and back to the hotel.

But it all worked out in the end. The day was as perfect as it possibly could have been.

After the reception, and walking back to the car, I said to Danny, "You know, all the stress and crises before our wedding was all worthwhile. It was worth it, because our day was perfect."

He agreed. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.

I am the happiest person in the world right now.

Even if the entire day had been a disaster, I'd still be ecstatic. At the end of the day, no matter what, I am married to the love of my life.

And that's all that really matters.

Officially On Vacation !

2009-05-06T16:35:00.001-07:00

This is the note I posted in my cube:

And those two figures holding up the margaritas and soaking up the Hawaiian sun will be us, in ten short days. Can't wait. :)

Now Comes the Stress

2009-05-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

Four days until The. Big. Day. Everything has been fine so far, we had done everything early, everything was taken care of.. now comes the stressful part.

The seating chart.

Our wedding reception is at a very nice oceanfront steakhouse. Which means, each table is not the same size, and many are odd-numbered. Trying to come up with a seating plan that puts people together who, either a) might either know each other or b) have something in common, has been the biggest pain in our rear end.

We got something workable.. but I have a feeling things are going to change.

I have a headache now.

Cinco de What ?

2009-05-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

It's all over the news today to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Supposedly this big, important Mexican holiday, where everyone takes to the streets and drinks cervezas y margaritas, right ?

Hah ! Not. Danny's family has never celebrated this so-called holiday. He's never attended a march or done anything special. And the only time he has ever attended a Cinco de Mayo party was at the homes of his very good, very white, friends.

Cinco de Mayo ? More like Cinco de Stay Home. And that's exactly what we did.

President's Trophy My Ass

2009-04-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

I am so pissed off I can barely speak.

Yes, I know it's been a pattern for the Sharks to play exceedingly well during the regular season, and then completely choke and die during the playoffs, but I had some hope that it would be different this year.

I was wrong. And I can't even blame it on the Ducks. It's all on the Sharks. All of it.

Fuck.

Spring Break

2009-04-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

Danny and I took a few days off last week to spend time with the kids during their Spring Break. Over the period of 5 days, we did:

Laser Tag
Baking homemade PB & chocolate chip cookies
Tennis
Swimming
Games at Dave & Busters
Shopping at the mall
Stuffing ourselves at BJ's restaurant
Funeral service :(
An Easter Bunny gingerbread house
Miniature golf
San Jose Sharks playoff game

An awesome long weekend, but now I need some sleep ! :)

Jacqueline did the entire gingerbread house. I, with my complete lack of creativity, only helped make the icing. Her artistic talent is incredible. This was a very worthwhile project, and it tasted good, too.

Grief and Loss

2009-04-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

When attempting to make sense of the untimely passing of a person who was much loved even through his challenges, how does one separate the circumstance from the loss ?

How does one reconcile the shock of death with the manner in which that death came about ?

And how can one handle the tears of sadness, from the wife and six beautiful children of the deceased -- the youngest still a toddler -- without breaking down oneself ?

I don't have the answers.

I don't know if I ever will.

The Stanley Cup in San Jose !

2009-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the great fortune to bear witness to the most coveted trophy in all of hockey: the Stanley Cup. It was in San Jose as part of its rounds, and I had the good fortune to be in its most awesome presence.

Some cool facts about this fabled piece of hardware:

The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America.
A new Stanley Cup is not made each year; Cup winners keep it until a new champion is crowned.
The winning team's coaches, management and players are inscribed on the Cup.
There are several spelling mistakes on the Cup, many of which have never been corrected.
There is a full-time Guardian of the Cup, whose only job is to keep the Cup safe and free from damage. This person follows the Cup wherever it goes, ensuring its integrity and safety.
After winning the Cup, each member of the team gets to have it in their home for one day.
Several children have been baptized in the Cup.
Several people have eaten cereal out of the Cup.
One child even pooped in it (or so it's been said). And yes, the one that pooped came before the one that ate cereal out of it. Lovely !

Let's hope this chalice returns to this city, as a possession of the members of the San Jose Sharks. We shall see.

Oh, and I also met Sharkie ! He bit my head off. How cool is that ?

Can't Wait to Taste Some Fresh Kona Coffee

2009-04-13T11:14:00.001-07:00

We booked our honeymoon this past weekend.

8 days and 7 nights, in beautiful Kona, with all the wildlife, stunning scenery, and awesome outdoor adventures awaiting us. It will be a first trip for each of us to the Hawaiian islands. We are so excited, and the anticipation is killing me.

There is one positive thing about the currently shitty economy -- the flights, condo rental and car rental were unbelievably cheap. A package deal for all three services cost just over half what we were expecting to pay.

Sweet.

Now comes the hardest part: Which few of these incredible adventures do we choose ?? :)

Hannah Montana Movie

2009-04-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Following is a quote from a San Francisco Chronicle write-up about the new Hannah Montana movie:

"Advisory: This movie contains comic violence and scenes of hip-hop country dancing. Members of all of the world's religions need to immediately set aside their differences, and collectively pray that this doesn't become a trend."

AMEN !

I am so glad that Jacqueline hasn't been bitten by the Montana bug just yet.

She'd much rather watch Spongebob. I'm alright with that.

I Hate Crocs

2009-03-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

I Am Alive !

2009-03-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

I survived my Yellow Belt promotion test for Krav Maga.

Yellow Belt is the second belt one can achieve. A newcomer is, by default, a White Belt. The next, rather small and insignificant level up, is Yellow.

So why, you may ask, am I declaring that I survived this test against all odds ? What possibly could be so ominous about a meager first-level test -- one that in my previous discipline of Seido Karate was a simple matter of a short written test and a one-hour skills demonstration ?

The Yellow Belt test for Krav was Six. Hours. Long.

You read that right. Six hours of intense physical activity, for the first of many levels to be achieved in this great art. A far cry from my rather simple promotion test in my previous discipline.

How did I survive this marathon event without collapsing, vomiting, or all of the above ? I have absolutely no clue. All I know is that I was grateful for the rest that was achieved while holding the pad for my partner to do her striking and kicking. Having one's brains rattled by a strong impact to a pad held against one's body is slightly less exhausting than inflicting that on another person's pad.

Jacqueline and I counted 17 bruises on my body on Saturday after this marathon session. There are actually fewer today, because some of the smaller ones have melded together into larger hematomas.

As morbid as it may seem, I am actually somewhat proud of them. They are hard-earned, and a reflection of my dedication to my training. I just wish my calves and back didn't hurt so damned much right now. Time to pop some more Advil.

The EMS Motto

2009-03-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

AEDs Save Lives

2009-03-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

For a number of years, stretching back to before I was a member of the team, the ERT at my company was embroiled in a bitter battle with company management. At the center of the issue was a request from the ERT members for the company to provide Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in each building, to be available to employees should the need arise.

Management initially resisted the request. It was too expensive. It would require training. It might open up liability issues. They wanted a wellness program instead. These excuses stalled the process for a good five years, frustrating the team members to no end.

Contrary to somewhat-popular belief, AEDs do not require training, although training is available in most CPR classes. The devices are designed for the lay responder, with simple diagrams and spoken instructions. In our state, the Good Samaritan laws cover possible liability against someone who is attempting to assist in good faith. And a wellness program doesn't do a damned thing for someone who has possible genetic predispositions, and/or who does not wish to participate. For these reasons, we argued, AEDs are needed.

Finally, in 2005, after some of the stonewalling upper management personnel moved onto other endeavors, the program was approved. AEDs began appearing in our buildings and on the shoulders of ERT Team Leads and Security personnel alike, to the delight of all of us who had fought so hard to have them approved.

There is no question that these devices have the potential to save lives. They cannot help everyone who experiences cardiac arrest, but if applied quickly to a patient who is experiencing certain types of heart rhythms, the AED can help reset the heart to a normal pattern.

This was proven, earlier this week, on another campus that our company resides in.

One of our fellow employees experienced a sudden cardiac arrest at his cube, hitting his head sharply on the corner of the desk as he went down. Our ERT on that campus sprung into action, began CPR, and applied the AED. Four shocks and four rounds of chest compressions later, and his heart rhythm and pulse were restored. He even regained consciousness before being loaded into the ambulance. Had the AED not been available, he would have undoubtedly experienced massive brain damage, or even death.

This day, was not his day to die. And it was made possible because the AED was nearby and ready.

Even more heartwarming, I just received an email that stated that the patient would be going home from the hospital in approximately one week's time. We all much prefer that, to his family attending his funeral.

AEDs are all around now. Look for them in public places. Take a CPR class. Learn to use them. One day, it may be your family member or your friend that may need it.

AEDs save lives. We have just proven this, on one of our own.

Hehehe

2009-03-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Link: [I Can Has Cheezburger]

California Livin'

2009-03-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

It is the beginning of March, which signifies in this area a wave of blooming flowers and gradually increasing temperatures. It is a beautiful time of year, truly, when everything is green and vibrant -- unlike the summer, when the hills are brown and devoid of life.

Chris from the UK asked for me to send a picture of some blooming flowers, so here is a rather pretty one outside of my building at work:

Considering my home town in Canada is about 23F right now, I consider myself quite fortunate.

Chris also mentioned that Network Operations is a good industry to be in, as there is no work unless something breaks, or you need to do upgrades. In my Ops job with my previous company, this was partially true, at least for the first couple of years I was there. Now, however, it is an entirely different story.

The network that I support in my current job is so massive, and with so many pieces of equipment and varying technologies, that our team is fully engaged -- all day, every day -- in issues, problems, and proactive network management. Our hours per week vary, but they are almost never 40. And the days we are on-call, well, we can forget about a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. It just doesn't happen. I actually broke the holster on my pager the other night, stumbling down the steps at 1:00am to find the source of an issue. Collateral damage, you could call it.

I love the challenge, the adrenaline, the moments of crazy until you finally isolate the source of the problem. I don't love the long hours or the midnight pages, but it comes with the territory.

One of my teammates once asked me, "How do you stay so calm during incidents, when the world is falling down, and everyone else is flipping out ?" The answer is simple: I'm trained for it. My EMT studies, and years of service as a volunteer dealing with medical and other emergencies, have taught me to remain calm in the face of chaos. I live for the moments of panic, and for the opportunity to offer comfort. And while a broken router module or switch chassis cannot be calmed in the same way as a human patient, I am all for finding the action that gives a satisfactory resolution.

It's a tough industry, and a tough job -- both of them. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

The blooming flowers at the beginning of March aren't all bad, either.

Age is Just a Number

2009-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

This is an email from my dad, who was enjoying a day at the casino with members of his Italian club, my mom and a few of my cousins.

On the way in, the security asked Anna [my cousin, now in her mid-30s] for I. D. to prove she was 18 years old. She felt complemented, but she hit me when I told the security she was old enough to get in twice.

I should learn to keep my mouth shut.

That's my Dad. :)

Job Hazard

2009-02-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

"Attention all units. We have a medical emergency, building XX, cafe area. Please respond and switch over to emergency radio channel."

"Damnit," I thought to myself. I hate this particular building, and the area that was described as the location of the emergency. This building is a showcase for the "open office" concept, meaning there is absolutely zero privacy in the area. And when medical emergencies happen here, as they have in the past, it has proven near-impossible to ensure the privacy and the protection of the patient's dignity.

I grabbed my large bag and headed off to the area.

As I was pulling into the driveway, one of my teammates pleaded over the radio, "I need more ERT members here !". Any time we have ever heard that statement, it has never been good. I rushed in as fast as possible to assist.

I arrived on the scene, to find the patient lying on the ground in a conference room with no blinds, approximately 20 bystanders crowded around the window, and another 4 bystanders inside the room. There was one lone ERT responder, my friend Rick, in the room. He and I shooed away most of the lookie-loos, and got to work with the patient.

He was having rapid episodes of seizures, every few minutes. In between each seizure, he was lucid, alert and oriented, and then without warning, his eyes would roll into the back of his head and he would jerk around uncontrollably. It was a very volatile situation.

During one of his lucid times, I was able to talk to him, determine his level of consciousness, and take his pulse. As I went to put the blood pressure cuff on him, his eyes widened. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm in the strongest vice grip imaginable, and submitted to yet another seizure. The hold he had on my arm was unbelievable. I clenched my teeth in pain.

I managed to pull myself away from his death grip, and headed for the door, as he screamed and jerked around the conference room floor. Luckily, the firefighters arrived at that time, and started IV interventions.

The patient was a diabetic. It was nearing the end of lunch time, and he had not yet eaten. His blood sugar level was 37, a level so unbelievably low that many people with the same affliction end up comatose. When the firefighters asked the bystanders why he hadn't eaten, nobody could answer them.

This was the first time I have ever been physically attacked by a patient. While I know that this patient's motions were uncontrollable and involuntary, it still left hefty bruises on my arm. And while we were taught in EMT class that combativeness is to be expected and anticipated, I never thought it could happen to me. Our environment is very controlled -- an office of working professionals -- and this kind of stuff just doesn't happen. At least, not until yesterday.

My friend Rakesh remarked that this incident reminded him of his own experiences at Burning Man, where he himself was the target of violence from someone he was attempting to help. Of course, one would expect some craziness from people who may have injested or injected various hard drugs. But this is not something one would expect from our generally tame office environment.

I guess I've been initiated now.

Craptastic.

2009-02-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

Today was not a good day.

Danny's work laid of 1/5th of their workforce. Those that remain, including Danny, are now taking a 10% pay cut.

I was told that I will not be receiving my bonus this year.

My coworker's wife was informed that her pay would be cut by 15%.

My softball teammate was laid off her job.

All of this, in one day. And 3 months before our wedding.

Danny and I are exceedingly thankful that we both still have jobs. In this deepening recession, it is something to be treasured. But I cannot deny that the next few months will be difficult.

I really hope our country pulls out of this soon.

The Silicon Valley Syndrome

2009-01-28T10:25:00.001-08:00

In conversation with a coworker earlier today, he revealed to me that he had been experiencing pounding headaches and dizziness over the last few weeks. His doctor, concerned about a possible anyeurism, sent him to the hospital for a CAT scan. The scan showed nothing out of the ordinary, and he was referred to a neurologist.

At the neurologist's office, he listed off his symptoms, and mentioned that he worked at a Silicon Valley technology company. The neurologist's eyes lit up, and he said, "Ahh yes ! The 'Silicon Valley Syndrome' ! I have had at least 8 people in my office over the last few months, many of them in their mid-20s, with symptoms similar to yours. In every case, and in yours, the answer is the same -- get some rest. It sounds simplistic, but their and your symptoms are all those of burnout and lack of adequate rest."

In my role as a volunteer Emergency Response Team member at my company, I estimate that at least 30% of the calls we run on are people who don't take care of themselves; they don't exercise, don't eat well, don't get enough sleep... and end up experiencing chest pains, difficulty breathing, anxiety attacks, fainting and so on. It's a disturbingly common theme.

There have been several times in the past where I have had to give the work-life balance lecture to a patient. A perfect example of this was a middle-aged man experiencing chest pains. This is how the conversation went.

"Do you have any medical history I need to know about ?"

"No."

"Diabetes, stroke, asthma, heart attacks ?"

"Oh yeah. I have diabetes."

"Do you take medication ?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time you took your medication ?"

"Last Friday." (It was Tuesday).

"Why haven't you taken your medication ?"

"I haven't had time."

He had a blood sugar level of 299 (way too high), a demanding job, a wife and kids, a sick mother-in-law he was caring for, and was running ragged. I sat him down and explained to him that if he were to burn out, he'd be no good to anyone. "You have to take care of yourself," I explained, "Especially your health. Make yourself a priority, by taking at least an hour a night for family time, to rest and recharge. And be sure to get enough sleep at night and take your medication. You need to do this if you want to stay healthy." He promised he would.

Over and over again, we have run on people with varying stress/anxiety related issues, and the common theme is that they truly believe that they have no choice but to work 16 hours a day and put every facet of their lives on the back-burner for their jobs. This industry is hard-driving and cut-throat. Our company will not give us the work-life balance. We have to take it ourselves, by setting healthy boundaries and by prioritizing. Sadly, many of us do not know how to do this.

My coworker above confided in me that his wife has been extremely unhappy lately, as he is always awake past 12:30am on business calls with India and the UK, and then sleeps in another room so he doesn't disturb her. They only sleep in the same bed on weekends. She told him that she has lost her husband.

I suggested that he set aside two nights a week, where he has no meetings, and where he can spend time with his wife and go to bed together. His eyes lit up, and he thanked me for the suggestion. He'd never even thought of that solution.

He asked me, "How does the President find time to go running ?"

I replied, "He makes time. It's all about priorities."

We all have choices. We can choose to prioritize, and we can choose to set aside time for our families and our health. All too often, we do not do this, and we fall victim to the Silicon Valley Syndrome.

It's an epidemic. And in the current economic climate, and the push to do more with fewer resources, it may only get worse.