Category: Random

Today’s Dilbert really catches the essence of the WhiteEyebrows blog.

Thanks Ryan for this link.

OK. I’m kind of upset today. The blog had a lot less readership this week. I’m not sure what’s going on out there in America, but my numbers are WAY down – across the board. Fewer comments, fewer visits, fewer love.

And don’t ask me how the statistics measure love, they just do.

I know they done turned this recession thing on. Are you sad because of that? Or is it simply because Brittany is having another custody battle?

So. Today I’m pulling out all the stops for you to read and comment on this blog:

First let me start by taunting you… THBBBTHBBBBT

Now this highly controversial photo of a monkey:

And now a few political buzzwords:

• timetable
• cut and run
• climate change
• surge
• not on my watch
• evolution vs intelligent design

And to top it all off, some politically incorrect terms:

• illegal alien
• oriental
• white trash

Now if you aren’t incensed enough to comment on this post… well you are just passed feeling!

Let me also say that this is blog number 126. I’d like to thank all those who got me to this point, including Hillary, Bill, and Bono.

My brother is the assistant manager in a grocery store meat department, and yesterday he had the unfortunate experience of firing an employee.  This particular employee had worked for the store for over 20 years, and was a little lady who had a propensity for taking the five finger discount on random things in the store.

Apparently, the assistant store director caught her stealing and eating a salad for lunch yesterday, and decided that the hammer must fall; and of course, my brother had the luck of being the supervisor at the time.

He was reluctant to have to fire an employee, but as he put it, “you just can’t steal.”

So the lady lost her job of 22 years over $1.42 salad.  Kind of tragic, no?

Then on my way to work today, I learned of an investment banker in France who made fraudulent trades amounting 7.1 billion dollars in loss from Societe Generale.  Apparently he was a rank and file employee, earning less than 100,000/yr, who might singlehandedly bring down an enormous financial institution.

I think he’ll get fired.  He might face charges.  A similar case in England landed Nick Leeson in prison for 6 years. You’d think a plummeting porfolio… you know… down by say… 7 billion dollars, would have thrown a red flag somewhere.  Heck, if I lost 1 billion, I think I would want to know about it.

So whose crime was worse?  Are both simply crimes of gross negligence?  Or is there more to the story?
Surprisingly (to myself) I don’t have much commentary on either of these situation… except to say, “how tragic.”

Have you ever noticed that some people’s names seem indelibly tied to their work or life story in some way? How do these people’s parents do it? Are they clairvoyant as to what the child will grow up to become? Does your name determine how nerdy or cool you will be?

Last week I got a notice in my email that they were going to be doing electrical work on the first floor here at work. Who was it from? Buzzy Garrison, campus electrician.Yes, buzzy was destined to work in the electrical field. His name begs it.

Bronco Mendenhall, another good example, is the head football coach for my alma mater. With a name like Bronco, this man HAD to be a football player or coach. Could you imagine walking into your financial planner’s office and saying, “Hey Bronco, how is my portfolio going?”

So maybe I’ll have kids one day, and I can determine their fates by the names I choose. I’ll name one Crusher… he will be the athletic one, maybe even go into pro wrestling. I’ll name one Mortimer. He can be nerdy and rich. I’ll name one Striker. That is a celebrity’s name.

Seems like a fool proof way to control my children’s future.

Any weird names you run into lately?

For the past 3 days I have been trying to buy a toothbrush. I lost my current toothbrush when I was on vacation. It got lost at my sister’s house after I errantly left it on the bathroom counter, in full reach of the four girls all under the age of 8. After checking to make sure it wasn’t in the toilet (most such things end up there eventually), I gave up. I wasn’t planning on using it again even if I found it.

So the first night I returned from vacation, I got the toothbrush I always use, a “Reach” brand with gum massaging bristles. I put it in my cart, I purchased it, but while in a hurry to leave the store, left it on the checkstand along with my milk.

There’s 10 bucks I would never see again.

The next time I was at the store, I put it in my cart, but somehow it never made it to the checkout. I didn’t realize this until I was back home. I even checked my receipt to make sure I wasn’t charged (again) for a toothbrush I never received.

Third time’s a charm. Last night I finally successfully acquired my toothbrush, paid for it, and brought it home. I am very excited to use it today.

Small victories.

I had a dream last night that some major VIP came to my house and used the bathroom. I can’t even remember who it was, but I know I felt embarrassed because I haven’t cleaned my bathroom in a few weeks. So now I guess I need to put on my to do list “clean bathrooms” before I leave town tomorrow…

One time I had a dream that someone very close to me died. I woke up very sad. It was a scary, freaky, realistic dream.

Usually I have totally forgotten the dreams of the previous night by the time I exit my ‘post-waking haze,’ and definitely by the time I get out of the shower. I think most of the time that is a good thing. Many dreams I have qualify as twisted, freaky night terrors than as anything at all ‘dreamy.’

I think I need my head examined.

In my first ever Saturday post, I thought I would share this incredible piece of musical art.

Saturday I was invited by my friend, Alan, to go to his gym and work out with his trainer Darche’. I have always wanted to experience what a personal trainer might have to offer, and Alan had said that he really liked this guy, so I gave it a whirl.

As a result, I have now experienced a new level of physical pain and suffering I have heretofore not experienced! In fact with the stroke of each and every key in writing this blog, small pains are shooting up my arms and shoulders.

Apparently, it was an “arms” day. We spent our time on bench press, incline press, decline butterflies, and cable butterflies. On each exercise we did 6-8 reps and 4-6 sets. By the time I got to set 4, I couldn’t push anything up anymore. I was beat.

However, I did learn that having a trainer (or even a partner who knows what he’s doing), is really worth it.

1. They overestimate what you can do, while you tend to underestimate what you can do.
2. They watch your form and keep you doing the exercise right.
3. They spot you so you don’t drop things and kill yourself.
4. They motivate you, push you, and get you to do the one or two extra you wouldn’t have done alone.
5. They track your progress and help you see how well you’ve progressed.

My friend began a few months ago, and I have seen how noticeably huge he has gotten. In his first week he had lost something like 10% body fat, and gained like 3 inches all over. He is very dedicated and goes 6 days a week.

Overall, it was a surprisingly positive experience… yeah I know… I even astound myself… a positive experience at a gym is possible?!?! I left thinking “I may even repeat this experience sometime in the near future. ”

Until I woke up the next morning. PAIN. Agony. Hurt. I couldn’t move my arm up higher than my chest. Every arm movement cause new pain somewhere else. Simple and routine things like pulling a shirt over my head, opening a heavy door, and pushing yourself up off the floor suddenly become painful, and the creative solutions have to follow. Rolling up onto your feet rather than pushing up. Putting a shirt on one arm at a time.

Three days, hours of stretching, one massage, and 3 gallons of water later, the pain is now starting to subside.

Exercise really isn’t so bad… maybe.