¿Qué hay de las bebidas de esta noche?

Not sure what to make of this email. Is Rosetta Stone suggesting I should expand my dating pool to non-english speakers? Or are they implying I should give up entirely on the english speaking population? Or perhaps they're saying I should play the role of foreigner looking for green card?

Watercooler Talk

Me: I like getting on the phone and flirting with the paralegals.
Co-Worker: Ugh... every time you get on a call with a girl I have to put my headphones on.
Me:  Is it that obvious when I'm on the phone with a girl?
Co-Worker:  Yes, and it's disturbing, hence the headphones.

Rhetorical Question

"So WG asked me to get drinks with some of her former co-workers tonight.  I said I'd love to but better take a rain check.  Did I play that right?"

Water Cooler Talk

Co-worker:  Hey, I've still got some of your exotic beer.
Me:  It's from Colorado.
Co-worker:  That's exotic to me.
Me:  You Texans.

Fix Everything

Someone I was romantically interested in expressed the oft said sentiment that she should let herself go physically in the hopes of finding someone interested in her for the right reasons - I do realize a certain level of vanity is implied.

I don't think she was all that serious but it led me to ask her if she thought it was better for someone to be interested in someone for who they are or what they could become.  She went with both.

Water Cooler Talk

Co-Worker:  Did you buy the rice cooker already?
Me:  No.
Co-Worker:  Why not?  Need to work more overtime?
Me:  Co-worker #2 talked me out of it.
Co-Worker:  Did he really?
Me:  Yup, so no perfectly cooked rice for me.
Co-Worker:  Are you going to buy a car instead?

Water Cooler Talk

Co-worker:  Where did you have lunch?
Me [said with absolutely no pretense in making it sound authentic]: Casa Milagro.
Co-worker [with full on accent and professionally rolled r's]: Casa Milagro.
Me[concedingly said]: Yeah, it sounds better when you say it.  Wait... let me give it a try. [grabs Chinese menu from desk and reads from]  Orange chicken.  Sounds better when an asian says it?
Co-worker:  Yeah, it really does!

On This Blog, On This Date

Seven years ago.... Exams were on the mind.
Six years ago... Reflecting on Prom Night.
Five years ago... Getting ready for the Bar.
Four years ago... nothing.
Three years ago... nothing.
Two years ago.... nothing.
A year ago... nothing.
Today... nothing ends.

About Those New Year's Resolutions

More than a quarter of the way through the year it's time to revisit:

1. Get down to 150 lbs. - Last weigh in had me at 178.6.
2. Get down to 100 personal items. - Last count was at about 110.
3. Finish reading 50 books on my Kindle (that's one personal item). - Have 7 done when I should have 12 done at least.
4. Watch from beginning to end all of AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition.  Not going to happen.
5. Pay off all credit card debt - this might actually take more than a year if I want some discretionary income each month, so I may have to revise. - Still working on this.
6. Find BBQ in Texas better than Dr. Hogly Wogly's - Haven't had anything close, not sure if I have even tried any since the year began.
7. Go out on a few dates. - Been out on one.

Random AIM Conversation

 bruin7089 7:28 pm
    Did you see new girl?

 cuyazzie 7:28 pm
    Yup
    Friends vibe

 bruin7089 7:29 pm
    dude
    get out of that
    stop fuckin hanging out

 cuyazzie 7:29 pm
    Haha

 bruin7089 7:29 pm
    no more hanging out
    FUCKING IDIOT

 cuyazzie 7:30 pm
    I know
    Fucking bad dude

 bruin7089 7:30 pm
    no more hanging out
    you don't hang out with girls anymore

 cuyazzie 7:30 pm
    I know

 bruin7089 7:30 pm
    you want to hang out
    hang out with Annie
    or Rita
    or macy
    that's it
    that's all the girl         friends you need
    3

 cuyazzie 7:31 pm
    Ok

 bruin7089 7:31 pm
    no more new girl       friends

 bruin7089 7:31 pm
    if anything
    you get a new girl             friend
    you replace an old girl           friend

 cuyazzie 7:31 pm
    Woulda never worked anyway

 bruin7089 7:32 pm
    i suggest dumping rita first

How Short of Perfect?

It has been brought to my attention that my list is overly demanding and that I should maybe shoot for something like 70% or even less than that.

Which brings up the old question, how short of one's ideal of a perfect mate should one settle for? Is settling even acceptable? Would I just be dooming myself to an unmarried - apparently, marriageless isn't a real word, thank you spell check - life if I keep the standard too close to perfection? Or would I be dooming myself - and another - to a disappointing marriage by straying too far from perfect? Too close or too far, is there even a balance to strike here between the extremes? Or should it be a go big or go home mentality? I'm guessing this largely depends on how important getting married is to one's life.

The Beginnings Of...

Co-Worker: Wayne, what kind of trouble are you causing over there?
Me: Huh? What are you talking about?
Co-Worker: What were you doing over there talking to that girl?
Me: Just talking to a girl, didn't know that was making trouble.
Co-Worker: I didn't mean it like that. She's cute. Good for you.
Me: Ok, nothing was happening, we were just talking.
Co-Worker: I'm happy for you.
Me: Huh?
Co-Worker: I said I'm happy for you, you shouldn't be single.
Me: Ok, listne, nothing happened, we just talked. And we need to stop talking about this because I don't want you jinxing this for me. But thank you for being happy for me.

The Week In My Google Reader

Want.

Sounds about right to this non-millionaire.

One less thing to miss in Texas.

Really need to work on the whole nap time policy for work.

Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You:

In the last five years, full-fledged adults have seemingly given up the telephone — land line, mobile, voice mail and all. According to Nielsen Media, even on cellphones, voice spending has been trending downward, with text spending expected to surpass it within three years.

Have.

Something I hope doesn't come to Texas.

Don't Be LIke Che:

Every time I see some privileged person protest touring, I think of Che. Every time I hear about some insurrectionists starting shit in other people’s neighborhoods, I think of Che. Every time some twenty-something white dudes audaciously roll into a room like they have all the answers – summarily dismissing the experience and knowledge of everyone else there – I think of Che. Every time I see some supposed radicals who can’t recognize how inappropriate it is to “lead” or “save” or “help” the poor people or black people or brown people, without bothering to ask their opinion about it, I think of Che.

Reagan > Bush.

To cook this week. Never cooked apples before.

What I like about Obama.

The Beginnings Of...

Co-Worker: Wayne, is Sonia alright?
Me: What do you mean?
Co-Worker: Is she doing ok? Is anything wrong with her?
Me: Well it is Sonia, but do you mean work-related or personal?
Co-Worker: Either.
Me: I don't really feel comfortable going into specifics about certain things so you're going to have to specify.
Co-Worker: Well you were at her desk for like thirty minutes.
Me: Oh that? I was just there meeting a girl. And don't worry I went off the clock for that.
Co-Worker (in a hushed - but still too loud - voice): Meeting a girl? Wayne are you courting? Are you a'courtin'?
Me: Oh geez, yes, something is very wrong with Sonia.

The Week In My Google Reader

When Scalia Dissents:

Well, I think one of the reasons this Supreme Court is so prominent – compared to the Supreme courts of other countries – is because of the dissent. The dissent combined with the case law system is the way the law is taught. You don’t have to write a commentary, and the professor doesn’t have to pick apart the opinion. You get both sides just from the U.S. report. So it’s somewhat of a self-contained academy here, and I think that gives us greater prestige.

Plus, dissents are just good. Look back at Korematsu [the 1944 case in which the Supreme Court upheld an executive order excluding Americans of Japanese descent from areas deemed critical to national defense]. Isn’t it nice to know that Robert Jackson – at least someone on the Court – saw how horrible it was? A dissent keeps you honest.

Ha.

Common mistakes of left-wing economists. Common mistakes of right-wing economists.

Brownie Recipe For Your Glaucoma.

America, Fuck Yeah!

Looks like I've mistimed it a bit.

The data generally suggest that marrying in mid-twenties brings you to a low-divorce plateau, and that waiting beyond that doesn't help your divorce risk. Moreover, couples who wait much longer than this are less likely to be happy in their marriages (but still enjoy high levels of marital stability). So mid twenties is the sweet spot--on average.

An Interview with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz:

In Onward: How Starbucks Fought for its Life Without Losing Its Soul (available March 29), he shares the remarkable story of his return and the company’s ongoing transformation under his leadership, revealing how, during one of the most tumultuous economic times in history, Starbucks again achieved profitability and sustainability without sacrificing its humanity.

WTF.

The WSJ is reporting that many banks are thinking about creating a limit on how much you can spend on your debit card. For example, banks like JP Morgan Chase & Co are thinking about setting a $100 maximum per transaction.

Why the hell would they do this? Well, the new debit card rules, known as the Durbin Amendment, which will take effect in July are going to make debit-cards extremely unprofitable for the banks. The new rules basically reduce the fees associated with debit card usage, which is good for small businesses, but terrible for the banking industry. In fact, with the new rules in effect, the entire industry could lose $15.2 billion a year in revenue.

Keys to long life:

Cheer up. Stop worrying. Don't work so hard. Good advice for a long life? As it turns out, no. In a groundbreaking study of personality as a predictor of longevity, University of California, Riverside researchers found just the opposite.

The Beginnings Of...

Her: Why don't you come over to my cubicle?  Do you know where I sit?
Me (after some pause to think):  Is this one of those questions that has a right answer and a wrong answer to it?  Because if I say yes, I don't want you thinking that I've been stalking you.  But if I say no, I don't want you thinking that I haven't had any interest in you at all.
Her:  Don't worry, I will not read into the answer.
Me:  Yeah, I know where you sit.

The Week In My Google Reader

Why Are Men Angry: "this is bitterness from guys who find the young women they might have hoped to hang out with entitled, dishonest, self-involved, slutty, manipulative, shallow, controlling—and did I mention gold-digging?"  Yes, it can be better to be alone.

Even though there are a number of enjoyable burger places around, I cannot wait for In-N-Out to open out here.

Face blindness. Do you have it?

Why Speed Dating Rarely Works: "Speed dating presents individuals with such an unnatural number of choices that people either usually avoid making selections or choose the wrong person, according to a study in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters.

The findings indicate people, and also non-human animals can only handle so much variety before decision-making skills fall apart. The phenomenon helps to explain why lengthy restaurant menus, long retail offerings, and other situations muddle our minds."

41 Songs By Randy Newman You Should Listen To Before You Bitch About Music Written Expressly For A Childrens' Movie.

Simply put, the reason I don't like public sector unions.

Be happy.

Why Bad Teachers Survive.

The Science Behind Traffic Jams.

The More Secure You Feel, the Less You Value Your Stuff: "In their experiments, the researchers measured how much people valued specific items, such as a blanket and a pen. In some instances, people who did not feel secure placed a value on an item that was five times greater than the value placed on the same item by more secure people.
'People value possessions, in part, because they afford a sense of protection, insurance, and comfort,' Lemay says. 'But what we found was that if people already have a feeling of being loved and accepted by others, which also can provide a sense of protection, insurance, and comfort, those possessions decrease in value.'"

Breast milk ice cream? Yes, it initially sounds repulsive. But the more you think about it, it kinda makes sense. Or does thinking so make me repulsive?

Babe's inclusion makes this a valid list.

Asking Her Out

cuyazzie
Last meeting she was there
so we were talking

bruin7089
Nickel Club?

cuyazzie
she mentioned she had never gone to eat sushi
yup

bruin7089
dude

bruin7089
you were right to assume

cuyazzie
so I was like oh well I'll take you to a good place
so whatever
this was like a month or so ago
Had to email her about some shit

bruin7089
why do you have to talk about sushi

cuyazzie
and at the end I was like, and please tell me you've finally tried sushi

bruin7089
i miss it

cuyazzie
hahaha
anyway, focus on ME please
jesus

bruin7089
hahahah
ok
fuck
diva

cuyazzie
I know
so I emailed her that

cuyazzie
and she is like no I haven't tried it, still too nervous. "Plus, I would not try it without you, you said you would take me."

bruin7089
and you tried to turn that into a date

cuyazzie
So I replied back, okay so when am I taking you

bruin7089
i don't know
ok dude
you needed to take control at some point

cuyazzie
I said when am I taking you

bruin7089
you needed to come up with time and place
no
that's not taking control
that's putting ball in her court
that's your mistake

cuyazzie
and she said, "Not sure yet, but I will keep you updated on when I’m ready to try it."

bruin7089
and then you took control
asked her out
with a time
and place
and she said no

cuyazzie
Nope, that was it

bruin7089
because that can't end there
dude
that's not asking her out
you're a fucking moron

cuyazzie
Fuck yes it is

Mountain or Molehill?

It has come to my attention that a friend of mine has become friends - though she might argue has maintained a friendship - with another friend's ex-girlfriend.  Not only that, but she has also befriended the husband who was the guy my friend's ex-girlfriend cheated with when she was seeing my friend..

So mountain or molehill?

Saddest Thing I Hope To See In My Email All Year

Happy 33rd Birthday, bruin7089! Still single?