I will admit something about myself I'm not proud of that I know other people feel the same way. Whenever I see a retarded person of any sort, I just want to avoid them and not make eye contact with them. Again, I'm not proud of this, but facts are facts. Well, several months ago, I was brought to tears while watching the movie, "Radio." It didn't make me want to change professions and become a special education teacher or anything, but it forced me (through media, albeit) to connect with a retarded person, and it was very moving. A month or two after watching this, Jenn and I went to the Rider football playoff game in Denton against Aledo, and when the Aledo team entered the field, a student in a wheelchair followed them out onto the field. I thought that was pretty cool since that's what "Radio" did, and still does to this day, though he's not confined to a wheelchair. Well, yesterday as I'm walking Karissa into her new school, a little boy about 8 or 9 who appears to have downs syndrome was greeting everyone at the door. He was such a happy kid, and it was very obvious that the students loved him. So as we arrive at the door, he very respectfully says to me "You look very nice, sir." Im wearing a suit and tie. I kindly thanked him and didn't think much of it as I raced down the hall with Karissa trying to beat the tardy bell. As I'm leaving, I walk out the door, and he's still there, and he reaches out his hand for me to shake and says again "Sir, you look very nice!" So, I went against all my previous tendencies to ignore, avoid, and not make eye contact with this little guy, and I shook his hand, smiled intently at him and said "Well thank you sir, you have a nice day." Walking to my truck, I could hear other people exchanging very friendly greetings with this boy, and I must admit, I was somewhat moved. So this morning as I walk Karissa to the front door, I see him greeting everyone at the door again. I smile when he sees me, because with a wide-eyed grin he says "Wow! That's a cool outfit!" I thank him and tell him he has some pretty cool sunglasses on. After dropping Karissa off at her class, I head back to the front door and there is "Nick". He tells me again I have a cool outfit, and he shows me his shirt to see if I like it. I tell him I think it's a cool shirt, hold out my hand for him to give me a five, and tell him to take care. As I'm pulling out in my truck, I see that he has found a dirty diaper that has fallen (hopefully on accident) out of someone's car...he picks up and starts saying EWWWWW while he holds his nose, still holding on to the diaper with the other hand. It was hilarious! I look forward to seeing him again tomorrow.
Being in such good spirits after leaving school, I stop by the donut shop before leaving Saginaw, and I get 2 dozen donuts to take to work for my coworkers and I. Needless to say, they were all gone by 3pm, and it felt good to have everyone thank me for bringing them! I know what you're thinking...you think I was kissing up for losing $100 of the companies' money! HA!
I went to the bank today after the market closed to deposit my paycheck. It was a very enjoyable walk, as the weather was beautiful, and the streets were buzzing with activity. I love downtown Ft. Worth!! So as I hand my check and deposit slip to the teller, I notice another girl beside her, and she says to me, "I had to come over here to be nosy...did you just move to Willow Vista?" Somewhat perplexed, I say, "Yes...why?" She's our neighbor!! HA! WOW! Small world! She recognized me when I walked in the door, so she had to see if I was her neighbor! Her and her family just moved to our block recently, but they live several houses down. Her and her husband have an 11yr old girl and a 7yr old boy. I told her maybe Karissa and her 7yr old could play. She said yeah, and maybe we'll have a babysitter in a few years! Anyway, we talked for a few minutes and as I was leaving the bank I thanked her for being nosy! HA! That would be cool if we get to know them!
We didn't watch Survivor or Apprentice tonight, but have no fear! I Tivo'd them! WAHOO! I even set it up to record those shows every week...and it will even record them if they change days or times! TIVO ROCKS!! Well, have a happy April Fool's Day!
3.29.2005
Update From Saginaw
OK, I'm finally updating this thing because Jeff told me he'd pay me big money to change it. I have not thought out any elaborate prose, I will simply type for a few minutes.
Work is going very well! I love what I do! It is very stressful right now because we have acquired so many assets under management. There is a lot of trading going on because we have to allocate the new clients' assets, but with the markets a little fuzzy, and no general trend established, we're easing the money in on an incremental basis...which translates to more work on the trading side. In fact, all I did today (in between the small issues that popped up in operations) was trade. It is very stressful at times when there are a lot of trades to be executed, and not enough time before the markets close. I had an unfortunate experience today. Last Thursday we made some pretty big exchanges, but amongst the chaos, we didn't get them uploaded by 3pm, so we had to upload them yesterday. Well, I reallocated about 30 accounts today that were off target, but I failed to realize that I had reallocated 2 of them last Thursday, so the trades were executed twice. To make a long story short, I had to cancel out some of the trades, and I cost the company about $100. That is a very small amount in comparison to other trading errors that have occurred, but I still beat myself up over it. I tucked my tail between my legs, went in to Byron's office (the owner) and explained to him the problem, how and why it happened, and what I will do to prevent it from happening in the future. As expected, he was very cool about it, and was pleased with how I handled the small error in a very serious manner. What a cool boss! Anyway, this was a great example of how stressful the job can be under big time constraints. An error on 2 accounts is not too threatening, but an error that effects 400 accounts could be very damaging to the company. And, as Director of Operations, it falls on my shoulders to make sure this never happens. As stressful as I may make it sound...it's really not too bad, as long as the procedures are followed and you don't get in too big of a hurry. It is a lot of responsibility, and I LOVE IT!!
The house is awesome! It's noticably bigger than our house in Wichita Falls. In fact, I told Jenn tonight that you have to walk a lot more in this house going from room to room! HA! We're slowly getting settled in. We got DirectTV a few days ago, and I love it! It came with a free dual receiver TIVO, and that is way cool! DirectTV is cheaper than cable, so it was an easy decision. I look forward to buying a new grill this weekend so we can cookout on our covered patio while the kids play in the backyard. Our backyard gets the morning sun, so in the evenings there is plenty of shade back there. No trees though...I guess that comes with the territory of buying a new house. At least I won't have leaves to rake this fall!
Jennifer has been very sick lately due to her pregnancy, but just a couple of days ago she started feeling a lot better! She's beginning her 2nd trimester. We haven't found a new doctor down here yet, but she's not scheduled to go back until around the end of April. She'll probably find one by the end of this week. We should be having a sonogram in the next month or so. Kylie was sick for about a week, running fever and stuff. Cara was sick for several days, then got better, but then got a bacterial infection in her eyes, and started running fever again, so now she's on an antibiotic. So, it's been difficult to establish a routine so far, but hopefully in the next few days everyone will be healthy. Karissa has not been sick, thank goodness, but she got her toe jammed in a bicycle she was riding barefoot, and had to get 6 stitches!! Her 10 days were up yesterday, so I removed the stitches last night for her...which she thoroughly enjoyed! HA! She started school today, and hated it. She said they didn't have music class or PE, and she had homework!! She learned at her old school that you only have homework if you don't finish your work in class. Well, today at her new school, she was assigned homework, so she thought she was getting in trouble. She also said a mean boy stepped on her toe and laughed at her. They eat lunch at 10:30 and don't have any snacks or anything until she gets out at 3pm! She had snacks at her old school twice a day!! She didn't get to play at the "centers" and they don't get to sit on a "rug" for story time. She also doesn't like her table partner, but she hasn't said why. :) She will adjust to her new school in due time. I don't think I will ever like public schools, mostly due to the stupid TAKS test. I have a feeling my mouth will get me in trouble when my kids are old enough to be involved in all that crap. I won't bore you, but here's what I think about the TAKS. The idea of having a standardized test for all schools to compare each other with is a great idea, so we all know how each school compares to our entire education system, and the strong schools can continue to foster their success, and the weaker schools can adjust their programs to provide the children with a higher quality of education. However, the underlying incentive structure is damaging the most important element of our education system...and that is the quality of education our children are receiving. Our teachers are pressured into teaching the kids how to score higher on the TAKS, and are sacrificing education out of fear of losing their jobs. You can't put all the blame on the teachers, because they need their job just as bad as you and I. That is why the incentive structure is what is corrupt, in my opinion. Don't link school funding to TAKS scores, or at least not as much as it is now. I could go on and on, but I'll wrap it up with this: The current system is preparing high school graduates to go out in the real world and do really well at multiple choice exams...but they are lacking in problem solving and critical thinking skills (this is obvious anytime you ask for help in any retail establishment). Just teach the subjects and they will naturally score well on the TAKS because they actually know the material. Don't hand out TAKS practice exams and fool yourself into thinking you are teaching something! Anyway...this makes my blood boil, and when my kids are of "TAKS age", I will not be able to keep my mouth shut. Maybe I will lead a movement against it or something! HA!
WOW! I only intended on typing for a few minutes. I better end now before I think of something else to blab about.
Work is going very well! I love what I do! It is very stressful right now because we have acquired so many assets under management. There is a lot of trading going on because we have to allocate the new clients' assets, but with the markets a little fuzzy, and no general trend established, we're easing the money in on an incremental basis...which translates to more work on the trading side. In fact, all I did today (in between the small issues that popped up in operations) was trade. It is very stressful at times when there are a lot of trades to be executed, and not enough time before the markets close. I had an unfortunate experience today. Last Thursday we made some pretty big exchanges, but amongst the chaos, we didn't get them uploaded by 3pm, so we had to upload them yesterday. Well, I reallocated about 30 accounts today that were off target, but I failed to realize that I had reallocated 2 of them last Thursday, so the trades were executed twice. To make a long story short, I had to cancel out some of the trades, and I cost the company about $100. That is a very small amount in comparison to other trading errors that have occurred, but I still beat myself up over it. I tucked my tail between my legs, went in to Byron's office (the owner) and explained to him the problem, how and why it happened, and what I will do to prevent it from happening in the future. As expected, he was very cool about it, and was pleased with how I handled the small error in a very serious manner. What a cool boss! Anyway, this was a great example of how stressful the job can be under big time constraints. An error on 2 accounts is not too threatening, but an error that effects 400 accounts could be very damaging to the company. And, as Director of Operations, it falls on my shoulders to make sure this never happens. As stressful as I may make it sound...it's really not too bad, as long as the procedures are followed and you don't get in too big of a hurry. It is a lot of responsibility, and I LOVE IT!!
The house is awesome! It's noticably bigger than our house in Wichita Falls. In fact, I told Jenn tonight that you have to walk a lot more in this house going from room to room! HA! We're slowly getting settled in. We got DirectTV a few days ago, and I love it! It came with a free dual receiver TIVO, and that is way cool! DirectTV is cheaper than cable, so it was an easy decision. I look forward to buying a new grill this weekend so we can cookout on our covered patio while the kids play in the backyard. Our backyard gets the morning sun, so in the evenings there is plenty of shade back there. No trees though...I guess that comes with the territory of buying a new house. At least I won't have leaves to rake this fall!
Jennifer has been very sick lately due to her pregnancy, but just a couple of days ago she started feeling a lot better! She's beginning her 2nd trimester. We haven't found a new doctor down here yet, but she's not scheduled to go back until around the end of April. She'll probably find one by the end of this week. We should be having a sonogram in the next month or so. Kylie was sick for about a week, running fever and stuff. Cara was sick for several days, then got better, but then got a bacterial infection in her eyes, and started running fever again, so now she's on an antibiotic. So, it's been difficult to establish a routine so far, but hopefully in the next few days everyone will be healthy. Karissa has not been sick, thank goodness, but she got her toe jammed in a bicycle she was riding barefoot, and had to get 6 stitches!! Her 10 days were up yesterday, so I removed the stitches last night for her...which she thoroughly enjoyed! HA! She started school today, and hated it. She said they didn't have music class or PE, and she had homework!! She learned at her old school that you only have homework if you don't finish your work in class. Well, today at her new school, she was assigned homework, so she thought she was getting in trouble. She also said a mean boy stepped on her toe and laughed at her. They eat lunch at 10:30 and don't have any snacks or anything until she gets out at 3pm! She had snacks at her old school twice a day!! She didn't get to play at the "centers" and they don't get to sit on a "rug" for story time. She also doesn't like her table partner, but she hasn't said why. :) She will adjust to her new school in due time. I don't think I will ever like public schools, mostly due to the stupid TAKS test. I have a feeling my mouth will get me in trouble when my kids are old enough to be involved in all that crap. I won't bore you, but here's what I think about the TAKS. The idea of having a standardized test for all schools to compare each other with is a great idea, so we all know how each school compares to our entire education system, and the strong schools can continue to foster their success, and the weaker schools can adjust their programs to provide the children with a higher quality of education. However, the underlying incentive structure is damaging the most important element of our education system...and that is the quality of education our children are receiving. Our teachers are pressured into teaching the kids how to score higher on the TAKS, and are sacrificing education out of fear of losing their jobs. You can't put all the blame on the teachers, because they need their job just as bad as you and I. That is why the incentive structure is what is corrupt, in my opinion. Don't link school funding to TAKS scores, or at least not as much as it is now. I could go on and on, but I'll wrap it up with this: The current system is preparing high school graduates to go out in the real world and do really well at multiple choice exams...but they are lacking in problem solving and critical thinking skills (this is obvious anytime you ask for help in any retail establishment). Just teach the subjects and they will naturally score well on the TAKS because they actually know the material. Don't hand out TAKS practice exams and fool yourself into thinking you are teaching something! Anyway...this makes my blood boil, and when my kids are of "TAKS age", I will not be able to keep my mouth shut. Maybe I will lead a movement against it or something! HA!
WOW! I only intended on typing for a few minutes. I better end now before I think of something else to blab about.
3.10.2005
Quarterbacks, FBI, and Sports Coats
Today was a BEAUTIFUL day!! Why you ask? I'll tell you. Yeah, it was a great day on the new job, a beautiful day outside in beautiful downtown Ft. Worth, but what topped the day off for me was a little piece of news I read before leaving work tonight. Brett Favre is returning next year!! WAHOO! There was a possibility that he was going to retire, but since his wife is doing very well and is well on the road to recovery after a bout with cancer, he has decided to return next year and maybe even beyond that!! I'm relieved his wife is winning her battle, happy that she wants Brett to keep playing, and ecstatic about my hopes of Brett leading the Packers to a Super Bowl next year!! True, the Dallas Cowboys are my favorite team, but they will not be Super Bowl contenders this year, despite some decent offseason moves so far. OK, enough about football.
The job is genuinely going great! It is quite a new experience taking on a supervisory role. I've always been pretty independent and have completed all of my work on my own, without asking for help...but I must learn the fine art of delegating now. I've always been a team player, and I always have the team concept in mind, but I've always been the running back. Now I must shift positions on the team and become the quarterback. The operations department is full of hard-working, internally motivated people, so I feel pretty good about managing these people. It will be a transition, but I'm confident I will succeed, thanks to the great support of the Operations team!
The house is coming along. They have knocked out the wall in the garage and installed a garage door! The workers are supposed to be finished up with everything tomorrow...but I went by there tonight and there seems to be quite a bit of work remaining. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I'm tentatively scheduled to meet the builder and real estate agent at the house next Tuesday for the final walk-through. The plan is to close towards the end of next week and move in Saturday the 19th. Any help on either end would be GREATLY appreciated!
Something kinda funny happened today at work. I received a call from the FBI this morning saying he wanted to interview me regarding a friend of mine as part of a background check. It sounded a little shady at first just because I had no way of knowing if he was legitimately with the FBI or not. I said "Sir, I've been here for a week and a half - how did you know how to get in touch with me here?" He kinda laughed and said "I AM the FBI." HAHAHA!! It was funny. Then he said he got my work number from my wife and he said "but I won't tell you how I got your home number." HA! He was pretty cool. Anyway, he wanted to meet with me in person, so I told him I would check my schedule and call him back. Then I made a few phone calls. I called Jeff Trimble (since he is good friends with the guy the FBI was referring to) and left a message, but then I remembered Trimble doesn't talk on the phone unless he's held at gunpoint, so I figured he wouldn't call me back...so I called Lance and found out that he is the one who gave the FBI my name. So, being satisfied that it was legitimate, I called the FBI guy back and setup an appointment. So I warned Byron (my employer) and a few coworkers near the front door that the FBI was coming, but don't be alarmed. HA! So shortly after 5pm, the FBI (that sounds cool) shows up and I greet him and we go back to the plush conference room for about a 30 minute interview. Fortunately, this friend of mine is a great guy, of high integrity, and someone I respect a lot, so it was easy for me to be very complimentary and give him a very good reference. Best wishes to my friend and good luck in your endeavor!
I just LOVE listening to the Ticket down here. That's a really cool sports talk radio show, for those of you who don't know. The hosts were all making fun of Greg-o, one of the other hosts, and telling him he's been gaying out on them by wearing his new blouses to work. HA! They were making fun of his new warddrobe. Then they started teasing him about how he always tucks EVERYTHING in...and Corby said he even tucks in his sports coat! HA! The mental image just killed me and I laughed so hard a tear came to my eye! Well, I hope everyone is doing well. Jenn, I miss you and the girls and I can't wait to get all of us moved down here!! Hope you're feeling better!
The job is genuinely going great! It is quite a new experience taking on a supervisory role. I've always been pretty independent and have completed all of my work on my own, without asking for help...but I must learn the fine art of delegating now. I've always been a team player, and I always have the team concept in mind, but I've always been the running back. Now I must shift positions on the team and become the quarterback. The operations department is full of hard-working, internally motivated people, so I feel pretty good about managing these people. It will be a transition, but I'm confident I will succeed, thanks to the great support of the Operations team!
The house is coming along. They have knocked out the wall in the garage and installed a garage door! The workers are supposed to be finished up with everything tomorrow...but I went by there tonight and there seems to be quite a bit of work remaining. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I'm tentatively scheduled to meet the builder and real estate agent at the house next Tuesday for the final walk-through. The plan is to close towards the end of next week and move in Saturday the 19th. Any help on either end would be GREATLY appreciated!
Something kinda funny happened today at work. I received a call from the FBI this morning saying he wanted to interview me regarding a friend of mine as part of a background check. It sounded a little shady at first just because I had no way of knowing if he was legitimately with the FBI or not. I said "Sir, I've been here for a week and a half - how did you know how to get in touch with me here?" He kinda laughed and said "I AM the FBI." HAHAHA!! It was funny. Then he said he got my work number from my wife and he said "but I won't tell you how I got your home number." HA! He was pretty cool. Anyway, he wanted to meet with me in person, so I told him I would check my schedule and call him back. Then I made a few phone calls. I called Jeff Trimble (since he is good friends with the guy the FBI was referring to) and left a message, but then I remembered Trimble doesn't talk on the phone unless he's held at gunpoint, so I figured he wouldn't call me back...so I called Lance and found out that he is the one who gave the FBI my name. So, being satisfied that it was legitimate, I called the FBI guy back and setup an appointment. So I warned Byron (my employer) and a few coworkers near the front door that the FBI was coming, but don't be alarmed. HA! So shortly after 5pm, the FBI (that sounds cool) shows up and I greet him and we go back to the plush conference room for about a 30 minute interview. Fortunately, this friend of mine is a great guy, of high integrity, and someone I respect a lot, so it was easy for me to be very complimentary and give him a very good reference. Best wishes to my friend and good luck in your endeavor!
I just LOVE listening to the Ticket down here. That's a really cool sports talk radio show, for those of you who don't know. The hosts were all making fun of Greg-o, one of the other hosts, and telling him he's been gaying out on them by wearing his new blouses to work. HA! They were making fun of his new warddrobe. Then they started teasing him about how he always tucks EVERYTHING in...and Corby said he even tucks in his sports coat! HA! The mental image just killed me and I laughed so hard a tear came to my eye! Well, I hope everyone is doing well. Jenn, I miss you and the girls and I can't wait to get all of us moved down here!! Hope you're feeling better!
3.01.2005
First Day of Work
I was out the door at 8am and on my way to work. As I drank my Slim-Fast (doesn't work) and drove down Main Street toward downtown, I reminisced about how I used to make the same drive 6 years ago. Past the Meacham airport, through "little Mexico", the stockyards, more little Mexico, tattoo shops(with layaway!), across the bridge, over the river and through the woods...ok, not that last part. I make my way through downtown to my building, pull into the parking garage, place my pickup in park, take a ticket from the attendant, and walk inside the building while they go park my pickup! COOL! I spent the first 2-3 hours receiving a brain dump from James (the guy I'm replacing), learning how much GIM has changed in 6 years. Then I moved to a computer with the lady who does the new accounts processing. After I thought I had a grasp on how to process new accounts, I took a stack of about 15 new accounts and proceeded to set them up in our system. By 12:40pm I still had not seen anyone get lunch, so I HAD to say something since my Slim Fast ran out 3 hours ago. So in my true otter fashion, I stood up, looked around, and said "Does anyone eat lunch around here?" I got a few laughs, but most importantly, a date to lunch at Mi Cocino's with James and Trey (the owner's son who works part time). I was told that I would be frowned upon if I did not get the #7, so the #7 it was. It was nice to get outdoors and walk the streets of downtown (I love it!) during lunch. Back at the office I continued where I left off until 5pm snuck up on me. I actually felt very productive! They are so swamped in operations right now, so it felt good to be able to help them catch up a little with the new accounts on my first day! I went in to James' office and talked for about 30 minutes, then we both took off. We walked down the hall, out the doors, and handed a valet attendant our tickets, and 2-3 minutes later, there were our vehicles! How cool is that! I left downtown and went to Ridgmar mall to look for some shoes and one more suit. I found some pretty hip flat toe'd dress shoes, but I couldn't find a suit I liked that was in my price range, so tomorrow after work I will probably go to Men's Wearhouse to see what I can find. Tomorrow at work I will start executing some trades for several accounts, so that will be fun. I was very pleased with my first day, and I really think this going to be an awesome job! I love it! It is sooo nice to be back in the industry. I think I may actually look forward to going to work! No more internet surfing or personal emailing or blogging at work though. The SEC is very strict on investment firms, and the IT manager told me today that she has to keep a copy of every single email that comes in and out of the office. WOW! That may be a culture shock for me at first, but I think I will stay so busy I won't even think about it.
I watched part of The Amazing Race tonight, mostly because Rob and Amber from Survivor are in it. It was kind of fun to watch, but I must admit, I did more browsing on this laptop than paying attention to the 2nd hour of the show.
Jeff, I just saw that Dexter Coakley was released...what's up with that?!?
I watched part of The Amazing Race tonight, mostly because Rob and Amber from Survivor are in it. It was kind of fun to watch, but I must admit, I did more browsing on this laptop than paying attention to the 2nd hour of the show.
Jeff, I just saw that Dexter Coakley was released...what's up with that?!?
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