Another One for the Ages

We had my bachelor party this last weekend. It was one of the most fun nights I've ever had. At one point my side literally hurt from laughing so much and so hard. And that's what was so great about it...it was real. No alcohol induced false comedy, no fake allusion of sex with a stripper, no fake people. I don't get the whole traditional bachelor party. It just seems so...manufactured. Not my idea of fun. Instead I have great memories from a great night with absolutely no regrets of any kind. Thanks to everyone who was able to be there!

Meaningless

I'm having a harder and harder time finding meaning in my job. People do not truly respect or understand what I do. I am a servant to them, no better than a janitor. It's getting old...it got old a while ago. And where do I go from here? It's seeming more and more like there's nowhere to go. I want to do something more...be something more...but it doesn't seem like those opportunities are coming anytime soon. Maybe I just need to pay my dues a bit longer...I don't know...I just want something that I can feel passionate about...something that I want to come to everyday...but maybe that's a pipe dream...

Two Weeks

OK, a little more than two weeks. But the wedding planning is ramping up again. We've been picking up those last few things we need and starting to pay the bills. The big one for the hall and the food is getting paid today. The marriage license is getting picked up today too. We're getting closer to printing programs and the cake topper is pretty much ready to be dropped off at the bakery. I was looking through the ceremony we are going to use again and I feel very fortunate that we got an officiant who let us adapt things to what we wanted. I'm not the most religious person in the world and I was glad to take some of the God elements out of things. Not that we took them all out, I just didn't want something that didn't really reflect our beliefs. It will be the ceremony that we want which will make it all the more special. Almost there...

The Floods Have Come

I took last Friday off from work and traveled up to Scout camp in the Nicolet National Forest for the weekend. Friday morning I got an e-mail saying my office had flooded from the rain Thursday night. I wasn't really sure what that meant. Turns out the whole basement of the building I work in flooded with about 2" of water. That may not sound like much but when you have computers on the floor it can be devastating. Fortunately they were all in boxes and the cardboard seems to have done a pretty good job of protecting them from any damage. My carpet is still soggy in a few spots. I'm not sure what they are going to do to dry it out. I'm a little worried about mold/mildew setting in but I guess I'll just have to wait and see...

Visiting the Parents

Went to spend some time with my parents yesterday since they will be on vacation for Father's Day next weekend. My dad is looking really good again. He says he's lost about 25 pounds and it definitely shows. He looks a lot slimmer than he has in a while. I'm really happy for him. I hope he can keep it up. I think it will help a lot with some of his other medical issues. It was a good visit. I'm still amazed though at how different their relationship is from that of Jen and I. Different generations with different ideas of what a relationship should be I guess. Makes me feel all the more lucky to have waited and found the right person for me.

Last Night

I played poker against live players for the first time last night. I had played a little online just for fun (all fake money of course) but last night was the first time I sat in a room with friends and played face-to-face. I did pretty well for myself. The stakes are not really high, but I came out a couple of dollars ahead. I also think I got pretty lucky. I was actually sort of surprised at how well I did. But that's the name of the game I guess. All in all, it was a good time and look forward to doing it again.

Getting Closer

Well, Jen had her second bridal shower this weekend and the wedding keeps getting closer and closer. People keep asking if we're nervous but my answer has always been a quick "No". Not sure what being nervous would accomplish and I know she's the right one. If I were nervous about it, I wouldn't have asked her to marry me in the first place. We're both very excited for the wedding and are looking forward to it. The one nice thing about it being over?...people won't keep asking if I'm nervous :)

One way or another...

...it all works out. It's amazing really...but it's true...somehow it always works out...that's it...that's my thought for the day...I leave you with this very funny comic from xkcd.com (click on the image to see the whole thing)

Heroes

I never really had a "hero" growing up. There was never one person who I held up above all others. Truth be told, I was very fortunate in that there were many people in my life who served as positive examples and mentors over the years. You could say I had several "little heroes". They have come and gone in my life, some have moved away, some have passed away, some are still right there for me whenever I need them. And yet for the last 6 years I've found myself in a mentoring role through Scouting. I still have a hard time thinking of myself as an "adult" sometimes so it's weird for me to realize I am in that role. Ultimately, I'm just having fun with a group of great young men. I would never expect anyone to see me as their one and only beacon of shining light but I hope that I can be one of those "little heroes" to a new generation.

Temper, Temper

Our emotions can get the best of us...all of us...we're all susceptible to letting emotion override logic. But the best thing you can do is to realize this and do everything in your power to keep those emotions in check. You're not going to be successful 100% of the time but the less "blow ups" you have, the better. Hopefully this all seems like common sense to anyone reading this but it continues to amaze me how many people know they are prone to overreactions and yet they continue to do it. They just can't stop and think...control their temper...be objective. Even more amazing to me is how these people get management positions...