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Friday, September 1st, 2006
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Geeezzzz - I keep thinking about the Playa. Where are my dusty days of heat? It's cold mornings which wake me to exhaustion and the slow dawn stumble? I didn't think I'd miss it this much.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, August 16th, 2006
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I found a job
Of course, being I haven't posted since Ghandi grew hair . . . no one here knows I lost my job. Yep, I got laid off. But all is well.
I signed the contract, for the new job, yesterday. It's a consultant position through a company called Net Effects. My role is to be a Business Process Analyst / Consultant. It includes all the standard roles and responsibilities: documenting the As Is State, Creating a To Be State, Creating a Process Migration Plan, Organizational / Human Behavior Change, Project Management etc. etc. etc.
I'll be working at RGA (Reinsurance Group of America). RGA is located here in St. Louis. The project is for two years It is an international process improvement project. The goals are to globally solidify, standardize and streamline their business processes (for one business line). Those processes will then be used to improve one of their core business applications. It's a true blue dyed in the wool Business Process Management project. Plus it is fully funded - the budget is just over $100 million. More importantly they are scheduling 2 - 2.5 years for the project. What's even better than that is the fact Process Improvement is a subject they understand. They have done process improvement before with success. They understand the natures of human behavior change, what it takes and the necessities of building "buy in" from management and staff. The project looks very solid.
The job will include approximately 25% travel, which will be exclusively international travel. RGA is in 13 countries, including: Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Canada, South Korea and a bunch of others.
Suffice to say - I'm pretty jazzed.
It took me 7 business days to find a new gig - thank God, the spirits and the universe . . . .
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Comments: Read 6 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
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I've been very anti-social today (and yesterday). Truth is, I'm in San Francisco and I haven't told anyone I'm here. There are probably about a dozen friends who would beat me if they knew. At the moment, a little quiet time alone is like a gold mine. In fact, silence is my new best friend. I don't want the TV, or the radio, or even the sound of people talking. Just clean, unadulterated silence. A conversation with an individual is good, but when it gets to be more I tend to start looking for the door.
Honestly I don't know where this need for quiet comes from or means (if anything). If I tried hard enough I could come up with some creative explanations and or excused but it would all be little more than fancy emotional foot work.
Fact is, sitting here by myself, with the rushing wind sound of the hotel air conditioner, and the occasional honking horn 10 stories below I'm as happy as sunshine.
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
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This morning I did a mapquest of the wallet lady's address. She was only a mile or two from the house. It was about 7am. A little early for unexpected guests but I was afraid if I didn't go early she would leave for work or something. So off I went. She lived in a four family unit. It looks like a big flat box of bricks.
She came to the door, half asleep wearing a huge drapping T-shirt. Her grey hair was bed tossed in every direction. In her drivers license photo she looked happy, vibrant, full of life with big bright eyes. But standing at her front door, early in the morning she looked tired, lean hungry thin, and old for her years. So much so I had to ask. Are you Eileen Hart. Yes, I'm Eileen.
I reached into my back pocket, pulled out her wallet and held it up.
It was like a miracle of transformation. She drew in a great big breath of surprise, her mouth wide and circled into an ooooooooooo. She stood up tall, her shoulders went back, and her eyes flew open. Where did you find it! Now she was alive.
More than worth the quick early morning drive.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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It seems I've arrived at the cross roads of lost things. About four weeks ago I found a Breitling Crosswind watch (the correct spelling of which is "expensive"). Last week I found a Macintosh Laptop - it's owner had absentmindedly left if behind. Yesterday, I found someone's wallet - with money, credit cards and the whole deal.
It's fairly curious and a bit of a nuisance.
I'm waiting to hear from Breitling - they are trying to determine the owner based on the serial number. The laptop was found in the airport, so I turned it over to airport security (that was a little bit of an ordeal). I've called the wallet lady's home phone and am waiting for a call back. She hasn't called yet, which is freaking me out a bit.
This finding stuff takes time out of my day.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, April 19th, 2006
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Having another adult in the house is a delicate deal. There's no doubt Alex is a grown man, but he's a drain on my wallet. We just dropped nearly $1000 to buy him a bed. He's been sleeping on his Futon for the past few years. It's causing him back problems and poor sleep. So, buying the bed is important but it's a cost. He's going to have to start planning for his needs.
In other news - I have about eight people signed up for the book review. It would be good to have about twelve.
Today I fly to Chicago. It's my first solo gig for this company. Up until now I've been "shadowing" others and or helping out. It will be nice to have the time to myself.
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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About 8 months ago I began the logistics of creating a non-profit. It's called Blue Door. It's aim is to promote poetry among non-poets. One of the premissis is that non-poets read very little poetry because they don't have access to good information.
As an example, most poetry reviews are geared toward poets and completely ignore the needs and views of non-poets. So, one of the things Blue Door will do will be to conduct poetry reviews by and for non-poets. In other words we'll put together small groups of non-poets, have them read and rate a book of contemporary poetry. The books will be ranked on Accessibility and Quality.
In fact, most of today I've spent sending emails out inviting people to jon our First Blue Door Book Review - the Inaugural Blue Door Review.
The book we will review is:
Title: Tell Me
Poet: Kim Addonizio
Publisher: BOA Editions Ltd.
Copyright: 2000
I'm pretty excited to get this thing underway.
PS - if anyone here would like to join the group let me know.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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The last few months have been a whirlwind. I quit my job at Enterprise and went to work for a Canadian company called Pink Elephant. Jina and I went on our 3 week vacation to Costa Rica (it was wonderful), and I finished the legal portions of establishing the Blue Door non-profit organization. So much has happened it all a bit of a blur.
The job is good. I'm traveling all over the country. Right now I'm "on loan" to the teaching side of the company. In July I'll switch over the consulting. It will be good.
Costa Rica was amazing! Three weeks in the sun, on the beach, taking it easy. It was a re-birth. We swam, snorkeled, surfed, and saw some sights. But mostly we sat on the beach and just relaxed.
Blue Door is legal and submitted to the IRS. We'll do our first book review next month (more on that later).
Life is good.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, August 15th, 2005
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I'm having trouble with the fact that I'm not going to burningman. It's this time of year. I should be checking my gear, shopping for fun shit to wear, making a food list, making plans with camp mates. This will be the first time in 8 years I wont have been making those plans. Plus I have a growing desire to go out and get my freak on!
Where is my dust!
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Comments: Read 10 or Add Your Own.
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The trip to see Allen's doctor was a rollercoaster.
At first it was a stress junket. Lois and Allen arrived 45 minutes late. Jina and I had an argument. I cause a bit of trouble with the office staff (to keep our appointment even though we were late). I was on edge and keenly put off by a smell in the building. There was a strange acidic scent coming from the floor and walls. It was a fait but piercing smell like formaldehyde and rotten oranges.
Everything changed as soon as we saw the doctor. A calm rational mood came over me. The diagnosis is crohn's. We talked at length to the doctor. I sat calmly and asked one clinical question after another. It was as if a I became a different person as soon as I walked into the examination room.
Since Allen cant' talk he can't directly tell us if the drugs are useful. So, it's all about observation. Dr. Stone put Allen on Pentasa. He also prescribed an antibiotic for the next month.
Now it's about watching.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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I felt pretty poor this weekend. It was just a useless tired feeling. So, I took the weekend "off" and sat on my butt. Last night Jina made Italian Meatballs and Tomatoes sauce. She used Ed Boccia's recipe. It's actually the recipe his father us to make . . . old family deal straight from Italy . . . kind of thing. My, oh my, was that stuff good. We have a bunch left over and I'm having it again tonight.
Big meatballs, sauce with diced tomatoes, loads of fresh herbs and spices. Yumm, yumm, yumm.
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Wednesday, June 22nd, 2005
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Yesterday we received the confirmation for the Hotel. We going to Playa Grande Costa Rica . . . staying at
www.hotelbulabula.com
I'm booking everything myself because it became too difficult to work with a Travel Agent. I've come to the conclusion that travel agents are not designed to book the type of vacation we want to have. Most of the struggle stemmed from the length of time and the type of hotel we want. Travel Agents are used to booking short stays. The vacation might be long but any given stay in any given city is short. I guess people tend to hop from city to city. We on the other hand are going to one place and staying for 20 days. Travel Agents freaked out at this idea. They had all kinds of reasons why it just wouldn't work. The second issue was the hotel. They continually wanted to book us into an All Inclusive, or a 4 star hotel. One travel agent actually sent me an itinerary for a $ 20,000 vacation. The fact of the matter is, even if I was willing to spend that kind of money I wouldn't want to stay in a 4 star hotel. I want to go experience a new country, not hide out in the pillared walls of a palace. Trying to get Travel Agents to understand these facts was very frustrating.
Anyway . . .
There's still some planning to be done. We've book our hotel and the two major flights. The next thing is to book the two smaller flights and do other preparations like getting passports.
All being said. Things are going well and we're both very excited.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, June 16th, 2005
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Earlier today Joe Rizo invited me to join the steering committee for the Judevine Center for Autism. Judevine runs the house where Allen lives. They've been very pivotal in Allen's life. It will be great to be able to be assistive to them in some small way.
A few weeks ago Jina and I attended a meeting to discuss changes in how Judevine operates. It was a fairly tense meeting but very productive. After the meeting I suggested that if they needed an additional member I'd be willing to help. They called today and made the invitation officail.
good stuff.
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Comments: Add Your Own.
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We got the results from Allen's Colonoscopy. The big good news - No Cancer. The bad news Ulcerative Colitis. Next step is to develop a treatment plan. One thing at a time . . .
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Well, it's been 108 days. The Renewal Program is complete. I didn't become 9 years old again. Of course when I said as much to Jina she said "which is a good thing because that was always creepy. I don't want to be married to a nine year old." Made me laugh.
Anyway, I'm done.
It was a powerful experience, much of which unfolded in ways I couldn't have guessed. I learned a great deal about myself. In my life I've been far less trusting than I would have guessed. Historically, I haven't believed in my own loveability. Plus I seek control to create safety. A fourth of the renewal was about trying to live outside those realities. Tough work.
Physically I'm stronger, more flexible, and more movable than I've ever been. Yoga, dance, and Rolfing have been an education in the body.
Mentally I'm clearer and more internally quiet than I can ever remember being.
Truth is, far less ground was covered from the aspects of spirituality. I spent a lot of years roaming those spaces.
To spell out the full story would take pages and pages . . . and ultimately not necessary.
It was worth doing and probably worth doing again.
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, June 1st, 2005
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Allen has been sick lately. It hasn’t been anything dramatic or easily identified. Instead, it’s been small random occurrences. He’s been throwing up occasionally, passing a bit of blood in his stool once in a while and has developed a tendency to sit in odd positions. These things don’t happen every day, but on a recurring basis. So, everyone, the house staff, school and the family have been keeping an eye out for small behavioral changes.
Then of course you have to go to the doctor and get them to act. So, finally yesterday Allen has a colonoscopy. They were supposed to sedate him before any procedures. But of course that is an uncommon approach. Orders from the doctor don’t make it into the proper charts.
Jina has to take on 4 or 5 nurses and doctors who just won’t listen. They decide instead to convince Allen to cooperate. Of course that doesn’t work so they attempt to hold him down for the procedure. All of which is completely ridiculous. He’s little but he’s an absolute powerhouse. There simply aren’t five people in the world that could hold him down for a rectal procedure.
So, eventually they realize their mistake and do exactly what we told them to do from the very beginning - exactly what they agreed to do before the procedure was scheduled. I’m pretty fired up mad. I’ve left messages for both doctor offices. I’m sick of this bullshit.
Jina did a great job managing the situation but it should never have unfolded the way it did.
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Just got back from Yoga. It was a good session. Certain poses which were simply impossible 8 weeks ago are not only possible today but becoming more natural. Yeah!
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Wednesday, May 25th, 2005
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I've slowed down on the journal posting and strangely I'm having a difficult time getting back into the swing. Every time I stop to write something my brain swirls with all the minutia in my life (none of which seems worth posting). So let's just deal with right now.
When I'm done here I'm going to make myself some Sage tea. It's become a new thing for me. At first I wasn't sure I liked the taste, but it grew on me. It's a strong flavor, slightly bitter, earthy with a flavor like moss and mountains. It's like drinking the forest. Plus it's powerfully good for the body.
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Then the strangest thing happened last night. I went home, sat down and fell asleep. It was like sinking into a warm pool of fatigue. Nothing moved. Every muscle had given up. Drifting off to sleep, I found myself astonished. This doesn't happen in my life. I'm not a napper . . . but it was delicious. I slept about two and a half hours; until Jina came home. I went to bed at the normal time and slept all night. Today, I feel very good.
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museplay's journal
calm.
tired.
angry.