Another Day in the Office.

This is about all I have been doing lately it seems. Ok that's a lie really, I play softball and basketball about every day. Seriously I think I am technically on 5 softball teams and 2 basketball teams. 2 Softball Teams on Sunday, 1 on Monday, Basketball league on Tuesday, One softball and one basketball league on Wednesday, Thursday I have off, Friday I've been invited to, but haven't officially attended another softball league in Chula Vista and on Saturday I have softball on Coronado Island. Awesome, no wonder I don't have a girlfriend...

Anyhow, the work picture represents me still working diligently waiting for my year review, now over 2 weeks late. Very little motivation at work these days, but the ever daunting budget season is just around the corner, as experienced from last year it's just not fun times.

Got the news that one of my best friends back home is getting married, (RIP DRob) couldn't be happier for the kid, in a selfish way of course I'm sad as another "single" friend bites the bullet, but if it makes him happy I'm happy for him, I'm sure they'll be great. When this happens to good friends it always sends me into self-reflection time for a while, which still unfortunately leads me back to massive feelings of regret and upsettedness for a future I had once envisioned, then proceeded to destroy at the same time. (Pity-party ending now) Anyhow, something interesting I've noticed about myself is that I'm not good at first encounters or opening of communications/dates etc. To most who know me this may seem completely opposite, don't get me wrong, when I'm in a group of friends, I'll entertain some, and I wouldn't say I'm the quiet one of the group. But out here, maybe its just being out of my comfort zone without the backing of my good friends, I find myself being shy and almost awkward at meeting new people. Why is this?? Once I'm comfortable in a group or surrounded by friends in a confident setting, I'm outgoing and a down-right charming person to be around if I say so myself. Throw me into some of these new Cali situations though and I feel like a child just floundering in the deep end of the pool.

Ah somedays I just miss my Utah. Love you guys back home, Miss you!

Monday Night Musing

So, while at work and cruising on the Craigslist for a minute. (Looking for softball or basketball leagues around the Cardiff area if anyone knows of any.) Anyhow, came across this little ditty and couldn't help but be amused. Now I merely am amused because in a former life I played a little D & D and Magic the Gathering myself, so I can mock because I know how it is.
However, this guys children just really don't stand a chance...

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/act/772647072.html - To see it's real :)

Dungeon Master wanted (Scripps Ranch / Poway)
Reply to: ************@craigslist.orgDate: 2008-07-27, 9:07PM PDT
I played Basic/Expert, Advanced and 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. My children (daughter 12 and son 9) are interested in learning I'm interested in sharing the game with them. I'm looking for someone willing to DM a game for us, or one we can join. We are available to play on Sundays and I think two or three times a month is optimal because of other weekend and social activities we do.
Sincerely, Roklem Steelbreeze

Unfortunately the name was not changed to protect the innocent, Roklem Steelbreeze really is looking for a solid DM, ahh the awesomeness.

Sweetness

Listening to a little Jimmy Eat World and feeling nostalgic. Ok it's been a while since our last recap.

Since then our beloved friend Minx has departed us, (Linsey and Thomas have returned home from the Netherlands and picked him up) which has been sad around the Hyde/Parry household, but I must say that my room smells much better, and putting away the carpet cleaner and paper-towels to clean up after him is a blessing. But he is missed, and coming home to an empty house without him is a little sad.

This past week was pretty tiring, but a lot of fun. I got to head up to the OC for our Grand Re-Opening parties at our hotels in Brea and in Cypress. Which thankfully they had some photographers at the hotels now, so that I can hopefully get their web pages updated. Hyperlinked them if you want to see, note these two just underwent renovation, so I haven't really put the time in their web pages to get them really sparkling like San Diego and Lincoln's pages.

Anyhow, the trip was a lot of fun. Gary is up at Cypress and its always good to see that kid again. And Annette my old General Manager and person who taught me practically everything about hotels, is up at Brea, and it also was her birthday on the 24th. Also known as Pioneer day in Utah. Ah how I miss my state-holiday, always fun to tell people the story of how seriously July 24th is a bigger deal than the 4th of July in Utah, it's great.

Really just had one of those weekends where I just felt like being a little lazy, had a few offers of fun things to go do. The US Open of Surfing was up at Huntington Beach, and some friends were heading up, another was headed to an Improv Comedy show downtown, some were going out in PB, but I really just laid low.

So, friday after spending most the evening in, around 11:00 headed downtown for a little bit and hung out at a place called Shakespear Pub or something, it was pretty neat, just a nice little quiet place, hung out with some friends then called it a night.

Saturday, went out to Encinitas beach, just right up the hill from me. Just laid out, read some of my book, played some football and took in some great San Diego weather.

Sunday, unfortunately my two teams had to play each other in our league, and our game is at noon, I've been claimed by my A-Division team, which hurts the B team a little more because I'm their Short-Stop. But A team came out and thumped my under-manned B-Division team which was kinda dis-heartening, I hope they come back hard next week. Highlights of the day included 4-4 from the plate, one shot down the 3rd baseline, and 3 just little basehits up the middle. And in the last inning out in Left Field there was a low lining drive out to me which I just barely got under, but I popped it up out of my mitt when I hit the ground, but the ball balanced on top of my closed mitt and I grabbed it with my bare-hand before it hit the ground.

Got dressed really quick after softball in the car and headed over to church to hear my good friend Ross speak and say hello to some friends. All in all, quite a spiritual day for me, Softball and Church it was great :) Hopefully the work review is coming this week so we'll see, but I'm getting to bed to get ready for another day in paradise!

Kitty Sitting Saga Trudges Onward

Ok so now I have bought an armada to attempt to battle Minx's weak stomach.



The battle was going well, first off I thought I'd work with the catnip hoping it would help sooth his stomach. Boyy was I wrong, big failure there. It started out like it was working so well, no throw up spots for at least 3 days. But then comes this past Friday night we're all watching a movie, next thing I know Sandy goes into her room for the night, annd whammy, Minx got her. So apparently at least his hatred toward me may have subsided some, however, his weak stomach has not been completely over come.
Fortunately we now have some Oxyclean carpet cleaner to also help wage the war from our new carpet versus Minx' weak stomach. Poor guy :(

To also help matters this week, I've seemingly broken my big toe. Which strangely enough, I'm not really sure how and/or when it happened postively but nonetheless it is swollen and black and blue so that is nice and pleasent. Fun to get to have a speed-up runner in softball this Sunday. Stay tuned sports fans, I'll have pictures up of my fantastic foot shortly! :)

Kitty-Sitting The Saga

So it's now 12:12 in the morning, I've been in bed for a while now.

Laying there nice and peaceful after a good evening of kicking some butt in basketball in our first Vavi league game with my friend Ryan.

Anyhow I can go on about that later.

First off, a quick background, I am kitty-sitting for my friends Linsey and Thomas. (Good friends of Jen's out here in San Diego and they've sicne become good friends of mine.) Anyhow, they are out with Jen and Dave galavanting around in the Netherlands for a few weeks. So they asked me to kitty-sit their cat Minx. Now Minx is a great cat, don't get me wrong, a little quirky: He picks up his food from his bowl, carries it a couple feet, drops it on the floor, then eats it. If I leave the toilet up for a split second he has a sixth-sense which alerts him, and he craves that toilet water. But doesn't just lick it, he reaches his paw in, and like spoon feeds it to himself.

Anyhow, I have a beef with our friend Minx here, first day in, Minx throws up in my room 3 times. I'm thinking ok ok he was nervous, new house, and they carried him over in the carrying case, may have got him a little woozy ok whatever, it's not pleasent, but I'll clean it up and deal with it. Maybe 3 days later more random throw-ups, so at this point I'm not too happy, still deal with it. (After the first incident I determined we definitely needed some carpet spray stuff, and Sandy (New roomie) called me from the grocery store and she brought home some great carpet smell remover and cleaner stuff; Really loving my new roomie we're having a great time!) So get home this evening from work, there's another couple spots, clean them up whatever, I'm not happy about this now, but still whatever, I'll spare you the details, but I'm sure most everyone can relate its just not a pleasent thing to have to clean up! Then, go to basketball, come back a couple hours later, MORE throw-up! Guh, really not happy, whatever clean it up throw it out, make mental note to tell Linsey & Thomas when they get back.

So back to the original cause here, I'm laying in bed dozing off, and hear this dang cat hacking again, so I bounce up out of bed grab him, and aim him at his kitty litter box. Set him in there he's still hacking some, but nothing and nothing, he tries to get up and leave it a couple times, I put him back hoping he will just go in there... Finally he stops coughing, so I lay back in bed no more than 15 seconds later I look over at him and he's throwing up on my carpet again over by my shoes.. :( He's such a dang cute cat though, he's pretty lucky, a little cuddler too but man we're not such good friends right now...

Why do you hate me Minx....?

Another San Diego Weekend

The end of last week had an ominous tone toward it as we've had some layoffs at work. In fact I believe it was officially dubbed Black Friday at work. First off I have to say however, the new commute is absolutely AMAZING! Changing from 45 minutes to get to work to 5 minutes has been absolutely awesome. And fortunately I'm still in the mode of getting up a little earlier, so it just makes my arrival times at work earlier which is good all around because then I have been getting out earlier as well.
Anyhow, back to these layoffs it's really not a pretty scene at the old cubicles. We start off Friday with our traditional Friday morning meetings headed by our fearless leader. Then it proceeded into an analogy of how we as a company are on a "diet." So the whole mentality around work was really bad all day on Friday. However, there are multiple things which really suck about this which I am havnig a hard time with. First off we weren't just letting go of some 17 year old kids who were doing this to get through school and pay to go to the mall, these are people with families, kids, mortgages and bills. So anyhow that hasn't been too good, then more selfishly, I can't help but have on my mind how more job duties will be headed my way after this change. Particularly they have laid off our Customer Service person, not to put this in perspective, this is EVERY email and phone call which we receive from anyone who calls "Corporate" to complain about anything. Great, this will be fun. Now this is not to say I'm not capable, but first off they're just going to incorporate her job entirely into me, and I'm fairly certain she herself was making more money than me alone, now I'll get her job duties and still be stuck at my salary. This brings total duties to:
System Administrator for: Epitome, Core, Daylight, BI, Cognos and all HotelFactoy, including Rate Loading.
WebMaster for the entire webpage. This includes all content, as well as pictures, including resizing images, cropping images, ligtening and darkening photo's the likes.
Recent mastery includes having to learn Google Ad Words, SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
This is not to forget about my daily tasks of the extracts from Epitome, uploading DayStar, doing the Weekly report, invoicing all GDS bills.
They're lucky I'm this dang good, thats all really. I churn in and out at least 100+ emails a day.

I say all this primarily because my years review is due tomorrow, and I'm motivating myself to demand a raise.
Thats right, I have officially been in San Diego, as a Financial Analyst a full year now. Hard to believe really, it has flown by. I'll have to update with highlights and lowlights in the coming week as a year anniversary to San Diego. Off to sleep to have another day in paradise tomorrow.

Humor of the Day

Ok after a loonnnng night last night just got this email and for some reason this seriously cracked me up this morning.

Friendship among Women: A woman didn't come home one night. The next morning she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend's house. The man called his wife's 10 best friends. None of them knew anything about it.
Friendship among Men: A man didn't come home one night. The next morning he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend's house. The woman called her husband's 10 best friends. Eight confirmed that he had slept over, and two said he was still there.