Sleepless In Oglesby

I must have rewritten this blog title five times before realizing that Jeff Arch had it perfect.  I'm not pining for my soulmate, though.  I'm pining for my kids to go to sleep!

Not all of them - Bo is a champion sleeper.  He's like me - he'll lay his head down and be asleep three minutes later.  Anna and Clara, on the other hand, must feed off the energy of the other.  They refuse to settle down and close their eyes.

I know I'll rue this post in about 12 years.  But seriously children - go to sleep!

Reboot

 

How many times in your life have you wanted a fresh start?  A re-do, so to speak.  Like that time you let slip news about your co-worker's baby or that time you ate two (or three) too many slices of pizza.  Big choices and little choices.  There have always been and always will be regrets in life, regardless of how we try to avoid them.  We'll call it, "The Road Not Taken." 

 

There's a theory in the scientific community called, "Infinite Universe Theory," or multiverse.  It posits that there are an infinite number of universes.  "You" exist in many of these universes and made every choice that could have been made, in a separate universe.  I find the theory fascinating but frustrating.  I want a looking glass.  What would have happened if I'd turned left last week and driven to Colorado?  I'd love to be able to view these alternate realities.

 

Alas, I'm confined to this reality.  Not that I'm complaining.  I like the choices I've made.  For the most part.  One choice I'm not happy about my choice to stop blogging more than a year ago.  How has it been more than a year!?  The hiatus is over with now.  You're stuck with me.  So strap in and enjoy the ride.  I don't know what's going to come out of my head but it should be entertaining.

Wordless Wednesday

First Class All the Way

As I was growing up, my parents always made a point of taking my brother and me on family vacations. This usually involved a car trip when we were younger but we started flying more often once we were older. Jamie and I traveled quite a bit when we got married but we haven't had the chance for a few years with the kiddos. As I mentioned in a previous post, we were finally able to take another trip, this time to Las Vegas.

The picture above is the view I have always seen when I have flown on airplanes. See those seats WAAAAY up there in front? This trip was my first time sitting in THOSE seats.

This picture is a good approximation of the seats in which Jamie and I found ourselves. We used American Airlines miles to purchase the tickets so we didn't have to pay for anything. First Class seating is absolutely wonderful. It started with priority boarding, meaning we were the first people to board the airplane. A stewardess was there to take our coats and hang them up so we didn't have to keep them at our seats. The stewardess then acted as our own private bartender during the flight - Bloody Mary cocktails, wine, beer, mixed drinks, etc. No charge for the drinks, either. We were offered actual meals during the flights while the people in coach class were only offered drinks. There was plenty of leg room. It was a great experience.

This is a good approximation of my view from my seat in First Class. See how packed those seats are? For once, that wasn't me!

If you have the means, please do yourself a favor the next time you go on an airplane ride. Try First Class seating. You won't regret the decision!

π

To some, π is a mathmatical constant whose value is a ratio of any circle's circumference to it's diameter in the Euclidian plane.

To others, π is an irrational number.

I suppose I lean toward the latter definition: I agree that π is irrational, just like my desire for it.

Vegas, baby!

I am excited.

Jamie and I are going to be in Las Vegas soon for our 7th anniversary. This is going to be our first extended trip since the girls were born. Bo, Anna, and Clara will spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa getting spoiled in all sorts of ways that will take weeks to undo. And you know what? I'm ok with that.

Because...it's VEGAS, baby!

Jamie and I are not big gamblers. We will probably budget about $100 total for the few days we are there. We are more looking forward to checking out the great food and some of the shows. We have tickets to Cirque du Soleil's "O" and dinner reservations for Valentine's Day at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak restaurant. Jamie is functioning as my tour guide by researching fun activities. She even managed to save us $400 on our stay by calling the hotel yesterday to ask for a better rate. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my wife??

Mr. Words

I received a nice compliment from my boss a few months ago. She started calling me "Mr. Words". I take a lot of pride in this informal title; I'll explain.

A large part of my job is effective communication - responding to emails, giving speeches, and talking with employees and the public. I must communicate clearly with everyone to make certain our office runs smoothly. I believe a large part of effective communication is understanding how spoken and written words will emotionally affect the reader or listener.

It is all well and good to simply state facts while communicating but if the person reading/hearing the words perceives them to be gruff or hostile they will not accept the message they contain. Writing for the reader is a skill to be developed.

I believe I have developed a professional communication style that makes people want to agree with me. My boss must agree; she often asks me to respond to office email and issue notices to the staff. Nice, huh? Mr. Words, indeed.