I got back from an amazing 4 day fishing tip to in Montana late Sunday night with my good friend Kyle. I posted the pics on Facebook and had a couple of questions about there not being any fish in the pictures. Before I get too far into my fish story let me say that the White River in Arkansas will forever be the place to catch a billion trout, but Montana has to be the one of the most picturesque places to be and to relax. Here is my travel log:
7/29 Travel Day -
I got up and started the day the best way I know how - a breakfast date with Chrissta. I travel quite a bit with work, so I would say that I am a pretty good packer and I like to pack at the last moment. I did the same as I always do for this trip as well. Only MAN, rounding up all my gear took a little longer than I thought it would and I had a couple of minor issues. First off I got my wading boots out and noticed that the felt on the bottom of one boot was coming off. That is a good way to ruin a trip, but no worries, a little Shoe Goo and I was in business. I put my newly repaired boots in my fully packed L.L. Bean fishing bag and noticed that I had over packed. I usually make fun of Chrissta doing that, but I is hard to pack for non - 103 degree weather. Well I noticed that I forgot to put my fly rod in the bag - no problem I will just carry it on. Plus I will look cool.
11:30 Kyle shows up and we load my crap in the car. Normally this would not deserve a mention in the blog, but he opens the back of his Explorer and he brought his same bag. I did not have much time to do anything about it so off we went. Did I mention that our bags are monogrammed? OH YEAH!
We flew to SLC then on into Bozeman. The flight to SLC was non-eventful but I did have the most leg room ever on a plane. Landing in Salt Lake was cool. I love to look at the big U on the hill. Living and going to school there was so fun. That is where Chrissta and I grew into a family. So it was a nice touch. The air port was was nutso and the plane to Bozeman was at the furthest reaches in the place, I think the gate was actually in Draper. (look at a map of the Salt Lake valley and that will be funny) So we are kickin it looking for a place to chill before we board, so we find a table in a lounge area.
It is time to go, we gather up our stuff and make it over to our gate about 15 min before we thought we were going to board. I find a nice place, out of the way by the pay phone to wait, and what do you know, someone needed to use the phone. I can't tell you when the last time a used a pay phone. But I looked down and there was no Rod Tube. I had left it on the table... BUMMER, I booked it over and thankfully it was still sitting on the table. That would have been a bummer trip.
While we were waiting, this not very quiet man was yelling throughout the gate area saying, "that is Jeff Bridges!" so of course I looked and sure enough there he was. Looking really normal. In fact if Mr. Loud man (in the yellow shirt) had not been shouting and calling everyone in his address book I would not have noticed that was him just a very normal un-assuming looking guy. I felt kind of bad cause this guy was telling the world that Jeff Bridges was there and all he was trying to do was catch a flight, but he was very calm and seemed flattered but not pretentious.
Jeff Bridges was not the only famous person at our gate. The other was non other than Coach Ron McBride. Coach McBride was the head coach of the Runnin Utes while I was there. Many consider Coach McBride the one who brought Utah football to where it is today. Urban Meyer won with all of McBrides guys and he is the one who hired Coach Wittingham, the current head coach, as his Defensive Coordinator. I have to admit I was more giddy about seeing him than Jeff Bridges...
We landed in Bozeman, it was about 60 degrees and I have to admit, I was cold... We went and checked in to the hotel with our matching monogrammed bags in a little red sports car. I said Chrissta's name about 500 times in about 15 min.... We ate dinner and went to Walmart to get water and snacks for our drive to Yellowstone the next day.
7/30 - Yellowstone
We got up and drove to Yellowstone the next day. The drive was awesome. All sorts of hills and trees and green. It was cool and very green, a nice change from the hot brown Texas we have been dealing with. Into Yellowstone we stopped, not by choice, to see a Moose, a bear, countless dear and antelope, a buffalo and 3000 ground squirrels... We saw the petrified tree and ate lunch on the porch of the Roosevelt Lodge. Oh, and there were no trout in the Gibbon river and the Yellowstone was too fast, deep and crowded...
7/31 - Ennis/Jeffers
Great spot. We fished all day on the Madison. I saw a couple of otters and a Beaver. I did see a nice brown because Kyle was nice enough to fight it over near me so I could see it. I did not catch anything but some mosquito bites and a sunburn, but boy was I relaxed and felt at one with nature. At about 4 pm we started back and decided to fish our way back to Bozeman up the Madison. We stopped at one place that looked promising, but ended up being a 5 mile drive up washbard road. I think I lost all my teeth - and there were no fish.
8/1 - The Gallatin to West Yellowstone up over to Jefffers and back to Bozeman.
That about covers it, lots of driving stopping, fishing and driving. The Gallatin was fast and the rocks were slick. West Yellowstone was interesting and I finally caught one on the Madison in Jeffers. (I had a nice little brown, about 8 inches but he was a good fighter and had nice color. I then hooked a dinker on a dry but it was what I like to call an LDR (Long Distance Release). Kyle then had the great idea to walk down stream through the brush, and mosquitoes - large as birds and love the taste of Deet... All for no fish, bit we saw a deer cross the rivers, that was cool. And on the way back to Bozeman, we actually had to figure out what day it was. We did something right.
8/2 Travel Day
OK we slipped into the river at Spain Bridge on the Gallatin, and there was one more fish, and it was mine. I avoided being skunked on the Gallatin, then it was back to reality on an oversold flight, that was late and way too hot. But it was home to my wife and family.
All in all I had a great relaxing time and Kyle is a great friend but I wished I could have shared the sights with my wife.
Peace out!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Why DVRs are Bad.
The other day I was watching a show and had to get up to do "something". I confess I actually had to go, well I had needed to go for a while. Little boys/ big boys; don't fool yourself, we all can't be bothered to get up and go when we need to. Big boys just don't hold themselves and dance, so its not as obvious. (Well we do dance but its more subdued, and we actually can't think either.)
Back in the day I would have to wait for a commercial, then I would have a true dilemma. There were really three choices, sing my favorite jingle, you know "What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs..." or maybe "Two all beef patties, special sauce, cheese..." or maybe I couldn't tear my eyes away from the crying Indian or I was gripped by the son who called his parents just to say "I love you". The other possibility was to grab a snack or a drink or the obvious, pee. All this had to be done, as Chuck Woolery would later remind us, in 2 minutes and 2 seconds, before Mork and Mindy or The A Team would return.
The benefit to all this was that we all could not live without a Rock'em Sock'em Robots game, we had to have a Happy Meal and knew that 4 out of 5 dentists preferred Trident for their patients who chewed gum . We don't litter, we prevented forest fires and now know what our brains on drugs look like. We also had stronger bladders and learned to wait, and we weren't as fat because we had to run to the bathroom.
We now live in an age where we can pause the T.V. The days of holding it to the last moment are over (this is not a bad thing, moms are not yelling at you to "Aim", or to "stop holding yourself") and the stress of not making it is gone, which in my opinion actually helps with the aim issue. However, without the need to hold it, kids these days have weaker bladders any one taking a road trip with kids can tell you that, and I am sure Freud would have something to say about this causing the need for immediate satisfaction.
We all know where the economy is - could this be because no one is watching commercials? Check the sales numbers of Stretch Armstrong or the Evil Knievel Super Stunt Set - I bet they are down.
Finally we are fat. Instead of grabbing an apple or a carrot, in order to get back in time we can now pause the TV and make a grilled cheese or a whole plate of grilled fajita beef nachos and run to the 7/11 for a big gulp. Or even worse -better- we can go all the way to Rudy's for some great Texas BBQ.
I am not saying that the cause of some of our social issues is the DVR, but ask yourself next time your kids pause the zany antics of Sam and Carly on iCarly or the joy of Sponge Bob and Patrick bugging Squidward to do wees, think about the implications.
Back in the day I would have to wait for a commercial, then I would have a true dilemma. There were really three choices, sing my favorite jingle, you know "What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs..." or maybe "Two all beef patties, special sauce, cheese..." or maybe I couldn't tear my eyes away from the crying Indian or I was gripped by the son who called his parents just to say "I love you". The other possibility was to grab a snack or a drink or the obvious, pee. All this had to be done, as Chuck Woolery would later remind us, in 2 minutes and 2 seconds, before Mork and Mindy or The A Team would return.
The benefit to all this was that we all could not live without a Rock'em Sock'em Robots game, we had to have a Happy Meal and knew that 4 out of 5 dentists preferred Trident for their patients who chewed gum . We don't litter, we prevented forest fires and now know what our brains on drugs look like. We also had stronger bladders and learned to wait, and we weren't as fat because we had to run to the bathroom.
We now live in an age where we can pause the T.V. The days of holding it to the last moment are over (this is not a bad thing, moms are not yelling at you to "Aim", or to "stop holding yourself") and the stress of not making it is gone, which in my opinion actually helps with the aim issue. However, without the need to hold it, kids these days have weaker bladders any one taking a road trip with kids can tell you that, and I am sure Freud would have something to say about this causing the need for immediate satisfaction.
We all know where the economy is - could this be because no one is watching commercials? Check the sales numbers of Stretch Armstrong or the Evil Knievel Super Stunt Set - I bet they are down.
Finally we are fat. Instead of grabbing an apple or a carrot, in order to get back in time we can now pause the TV and make a grilled cheese or a whole plate of grilled fajita beef nachos and run to the 7/11 for a big gulp. Or even worse -better- we can go all the way to Rudy's for some great Texas BBQ.
I am not saying that the cause of some of our social issues is the DVR, but ask yourself next time your kids pause the zany antics of Sam and Carly on iCarly or the joy of Sponge Bob and Patrick bugging Squidward to do wees, think about the implications.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Out of The Box
The other day I was thinking about a friends website, http://www.anengineeringmind.com, (where he posts videos about engineering, it is very funny - if you are into that sort of thing.) Anyway, I mentioned to him earlier that day that I loved his site and that he was doing a great blah blah blah - he then said if you have any ideas I can cover let me know... So I was just getting ready to dose off and there it came, a thought for his website. Marketing Speak. I am thinking to myself he has to cover that that would be so great. (As a reference I did check and sure enough he had just posted one about marketing words - it is brilliant.)
When I say marketing speak, I mean words like 'Traction', 'Marketechture', 'Synergy', 'Best in Breed', 'Scope', 'Leading....' and my favorite 'Out of The Box'. I think that these terms are generally over-used. They actually make me quit listening because when hear them they are audio or visual clues that the presenter or speaker really has no clue what they are saying and are not going to give me anything of substance. I have to admit I have even used some of them when, A) When I was talking to some folks that were not following my technical jargon, and B) when I did not know what I was talking about. Sorry if you use them, but GOSH DANG they bug me... Keep in mind I have worked at some big marketing companies like IBM and Dell, which may be why I have an aversion to such speak.
But that is not the reason for this post, and I have to admit it was inspired by 'Out of The Box'. As I was thinking about all these words that one phrase rang true at that moment for me. Have you ever had one of those moments? Like all of a sudden a light comes on and the planets line up and something clicks in your heart. I had one of those moments about that phrase. Generally it is accepted that Out of The Box means thinking or doing something unconventional or creative.
I am not sure what the technical or phsycological term is but I will call it flow of consciousness, where my mind took off and all these thoughts came to me about that phrase. Basically I looked at my computer and realized it was a box, then I started thinking about the other boxes in my life and how we all should live 'Out of The Box'.
As stated above, the first thing that came to mind was my computer then then next logical was the T.V. I am especially guilty of this. I tend to come home sit in front of the T.V. with a laptop on my lap finishing up some work or surfing the net for that next cool thing or even watching my friend's videos. None of these things are inherently bad, just we (I) have been boxed by these things.
Another box is our cell phones. I can't leave the house without it, I look at it all the time. Chrissta is on hers all the time as well. What did we do before cell phones? Oh yeah we talked face to face and interacted at dinner. Kids are texting 100 people at a time and not interacting with others. I know a kid, very well, who burns over 14,000 messages a month think he is in a box?
Have you ever looked at your car? All they are are boxes with wheels. I have two cars, and two car payments. We need cars to get to work and stuff and we did just 'help the economy' and bought a Ford - but this is not your dad's Ford -its a Flex. Have you seen them? They are nice. It looks great, fantastic lines, dark windows alloy wheels, Satellite radio, Microsoft Sync, blue tooth - uh see what I mean? Its a fancy box.
What about work? The physical building is a box, how late do you stay in that box? What time do you leave there? How much time to do spend thinking about it when you are not there? How much does a bad day at the box effect your mood or interactions with your wife, kids, friends and or extended family?
I look in my wallet and there are a bunch of flat boxes called credit cards in there. Their physical shape is flat but for many the hidden part is not flat - they are huge. I am surprised that some still fit in my pocket. These too could be why some feel boxed at work.
Then I looked at the house I live in it is a box with a pitched roof. I talked to a friend today and they are looking for a new box. I used to think that living in a box was bad, but I just realized I do too. Who am I to judge others for living in boxes whatever or wherever they may be. But then there are those that have bought too big of a box and can't pay for it anymore.
I have another box that is an issue for me. The fridge actually the freezer that not so ironically has another box full of a creamy frozen treat. For others it may be the box of cigarettes other harmful substances that are sold in a box that may be an issue.
I told a co-worker about my ideas and he added church, which I thought was interesting and I liked the idea but I could not figure out why. Then this evening I picked the older kids up from youth group at the church and when I saw the church building I realised it is another box only it has a steeple. I was then hit between the eyes with a huge question? Do I worship or live my religion in that box only? or do I live outside the box? Thanks Page!
I am sure there are more. But I realized that I need to do better at living Out of the Box and maybe other do too. I am sure I will have more thoughts about this so stay tuned, and please share your thoughts about the boxes we all live in. Later!
When I say marketing speak, I mean words like 'Traction', 'Marketechture', 'Synergy', 'Best in Breed', 'Scope', 'Leading....' and my favorite 'Out of The Box'. I think that these terms are generally over-used. They actually make me quit listening because when hear them they are audio or visual clues that the presenter or speaker really has no clue what they are saying and are not going to give me anything of substance. I have to admit I have even used some of them when, A) When I was talking to some folks that were not following my technical jargon, and B) when I did not know what I was talking about. Sorry if you use them, but GOSH DANG they bug me... Keep in mind I have worked at some big marketing companies like IBM and Dell, which may be why I have an aversion to such speak.
But that is not the reason for this post, and I have to admit it was inspired by 'Out of The Box'. As I was thinking about all these words that one phrase rang true at that moment for me. Have you ever had one of those moments? Like all of a sudden a light comes on and the planets line up and something clicks in your heart. I had one of those moments about that phrase. Generally it is accepted that Out of The Box means thinking or doing something unconventional or creative.
I am not sure what the technical or phsycological term is but I will call it flow of consciousness, where my mind took off and all these thoughts came to me about that phrase. Basically I looked at my computer and realized it was a box, then I started thinking about the other boxes in my life and how we all should live 'Out of The Box'.
As stated above, the first thing that came to mind was my computer then then next logical was the T.V. I am especially guilty of this. I tend to come home sit in front of the T.V. with a laptop on my lap finishing up some work or surfing the net for that next cool thing or even watching my friend's videos. None of these things are inherently bad, just we (I) have been boxed by these things.
Another box is our cell phones. I can't leave the house without it, I look at it all the time. Chrissta is on hers all the time as well. What did we do before cell phones? Oh yeah we talked face to face and interacted at dinner. Kids are texting 100 people at a time and not interacting with others. I know a kid, very well, who burns over 14,000 messages a month think he is in a box?
Have you ever looked at your car? All they are are boxes with wheels. I have two cars, and two car payments. We need cars to get to work and stuff and we did just 'help the economy' and bought a Ford - but this is not your dad's Ford -its a Flex. Have you seen them? They are nice. It looks great, fantastic lines, dark windows alloy wheels, Satellite radio, Microsoft Sync, blue tooth - uh see what I mean? Its a fancy box.
What about work? The physical building is a box, how late do you stay in that box? What time do you leave there? How much time to do spend thinking about it when you are not there? How much does a bad day at the box effect your mood or interactions with your wife, kids, friends and or extended family?
I look in my wallet and there are a bunch of flat boxes called credit cards in there. Their physical shape is flat but for many the hidden part is not flat - they are huge. I am surprised that some still fit in my pocket. These too could be why some feel boxed at work.
Then I looked at the house I live in it is a box with a pitched roof. I talked to a friend today and they are looking for a new box. I used to think that living in a box was bad, but I just realized I do too. Who am I to judge others for living in boxes whatever or wherever they may be. But then there are those that have bought too big of a box and can't pay for it anymore.
I have another box that is an issue for me. The fridge actually the freezer that not so ironically has another box full of a creamy frozen treat. For others it may be the box of cigarettes other harmful substances that are sold in a box that may be an issue.
I told a co-worker about my ideas and he added church, which I thought was interesting and I liked the idea but I could not figure out why. Then this evening I picked the older kids up from youth group at the church and when I saw the church building I realised it is another box only it has a steeple. I was then hit between the eyes with a huge question? Do I worship or live my religion in that box only? or do I live outside the box? Thanks Page!
I am sure there are more. But I realized that I need to do better at living Out of the Box and maybe other do too. I am sure I will have more thoughts about this so stay tuned, and please share your thoughts about the boxes we all live in. Later!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Capital One
They called and said we are sorry.... its not like they were going to do anything for me but I did get the satisfaction of getting to say you guys suck and I am going to tell you all the reasons why.
Financial score:
The Man -100 Josh - 0
Moral score:
The Man - Josh 1
Financial score:
The Man -100 Josh - 0
Moral score:
The Man - Josh 1
Monday, March 9, 2009
Wow its been a while and I have much to discuss.
I could give you, my fans, a bunch of hooey about all the reasons why I have not posted in a quarter, but the truth is I am lazy. Thats , ironically, is the reason I started this thing in the first place.
Things have been going pretty well. I have been working out less regularly than I should but more than I was. I am working with my buddy Kyle who has totally rocked it and can call me on stuff others cant. Good to have. But I need to do more and add diet to this routine. So much for my physical health. My mental/emotional health has not been very good. I feel stuck - not progressing professionally or intellectually. This is not a good thing for me. I can not be pushed for a bit but if I am not learning and growing then I get board and jaded. I have recently realized that it is up to me to make sure I am growing and learning. To that end I have started to teach myself some programing languages. I am looking into C## and Java. I need to choose 1 to focus on so any input would be great. (I think I am leaning towards C## but can be persuaded other wise.)
Something else I have been thinking about is going back to school. Not sure what for exactly or if it would be worth the $$ just something I am thinking about it. I actually was thinking I should go back and continue a medical career, but then I woke up....
I had something reiterated to me this weekend and I actually feel funny admitting this due to the title of my blog. The point that I was reminded of is that I choose. I choose my mood. I choose to be angry. I choose to be jaded. It is ultimately up to me. From today on I choose...
Here is something I choose. To be really really really mad at Capital One Auto Finance. The Wife and I bought a new car a bout a month ago. We told the dealer we wanted our payment due after the 15th of the month. They said no problem - we signed the papers, and drove our new Ford Flex home.
A couple of days later we were looking over the contract and noticed that the due date was on the 2nd of the month. That was going to be an issue. So I called the dealer. They said that we would need to call the bank as they had already submitted the paper work. No problem right? I called the bank they said I needed to wait until I got my account, number. So I did. I called them back to move the payment. It was going to cost $35.00 - bummer but OK. Did the whole Check thing over the phone. This was the 24th of Feb. Thought we were done, but the check did not clear the bank. Chrissta called them on the 2nd of March, the due date. It did not go through for some reason or other. So we did it again, this time the money came right out, and they told her the new payment was due on the 17th - sweet, job done.
Tonight I get a call from Capital One Auto Finance telling me my payment is late. HUH????? a fight ensues where the bozo on the other end is telling me that I am late and there is nothing they can do, I tried to escalate and got a senor bozo that would not budge either and would not let me talk to anyone else. I tried logic - he had none. My argument points were:
Things have been going pretty well. I have been working out less regularly than I should but more than I was. I am working with my buddy Kyle who has totally rocked it and can call me on stuff others cant. Good to have. But I need to do more and add diet to this routine. So much for my physical health. My mental/emotional health has not been very good. I feel stuck - not progressing professionally or intellectually. This is not a good thing for me. I can not be pushed for a bit but if I am not learning and growing then I get board and jaded. I have recently realized that it is up to me to make sure I am growing and learning. To that end I have started to teach myself some programing languages. I am looking into C## and Java. I need to choose 1 to focus on so any input would be great. (I think I am leaning towards C## but can be persuaded other wise.)
Something else I have been thinking about is going back to school. Not sure what for exactly or if it would be worth the $$ just something I am thinking about it. I actually was thinking I should go back and continue a medical career, but then I woke up....
I had something reiterated to me this weekend and I actually feel funny admitting this due to the title of my blog. The point that I was reminded of is that I choose. I choose my mood. I choose to be angry. I choose to be jaded. It is ultimately up to me. From today on I choose...
Here is something I choose. To be really really really mad at Capital One Auto Finance. The Wife and I bought a new car a bout a month ago. We told the dealer we wanted our payment due after the 15th of the month. They said no problem - we signed the papers, and drove our new Ford Flex home.
A couple of days later we were looking over the contract and noticed that the due date was on the 2nd of the month. That was going to be an issue. So I called the dealer. They said that we would need to call the bank as they had already submitted the paper work. No problem right? I called the bank they said I needed to wait until I got my account, number. So I did. I called them back to move the payment. It was going to cost $35.00 - bummer but OK. Did the whole Check thing over the phone. This was the 24th of Feb. Thought we were done, but the check did not clear the bank. Chrissta called them on the 2nd of March, the due date. It did not go through for some reason or other. So we did it again, this time the money came right out, and they told her the new payment was due on the 17th - sweet, job done.
Tonight I get a call from Capital One Auto Finance telling me my payment is late. HUH????? a fight ensues where the bozo on the other end is telling me that I am late and there is nothing they can do, I tried to escalate and got a senor bozo that would not budge either and would not let me talk to anyone else. I tried logic - he had none. My argument points were:
- Why did the Customer Service Rep not tell Chrissta to make a payment on the 2nd when she moved the payment due date? - His reply was that it was not late yet, and they could not ask for a payment. HUH????????
- Why was I charged $35.00 to move the payment? His reply was that the new due date was going to take effect in April.
- Why could not the CSR speak English? - No Comment.
- Why would a representative of their company tell me one thing and while they are telling me another? No answer again.
He also told me that I signed a contract to make the payment and that they offered me as a courtesy I could move my payment due date. I let him know that I was there when I signed it, and that as soon as the error was noticed, I tried to correct it. He let me know that it was a courtesy that they offered to let me make the change. I responded that it was not a courtesy or it would have been free and that this was a service that I paid for. - No comment by him.
He even reviewed the case and read where the guy told Chrissta that we could move the payment - but he still said it was late and there was nothing he could do and there was no-one else I could speak with.
After about 30 min of arguing with the brick wall I relented and made the payment. (Good thing for tax returns.) This is the best part - I hung up and Madison and Xander walk in with today's mail, I'll be damned if there was not letter from Capital One Auto Finance with the our next payment due date: March 17th 2009! signed by the Director of Customer Service, Michael Feeney. So I looked up the corporate office number found a company directory and called him. Unfortunately or fortunately he was not in, but I left him a voice mail. Not sure what good it will do but if you want the number I will give it to you.
Really this was not the guys fault - he was doing his job, but MAN follow the logic and help someone out. Sheesh. Oh and he did waive the $14.95 check by phone fee so there is one positive.
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