Take a Dive

Tonight I leave you with a song. As usual, I'll just post some lyrics and I'll blog about it tomorrow night.

Sick and Tired of this world
There's no more air
Trippin' over myself
Goin' nowhere
Waiting
Suffocating
No direction
And I took a dive

And on the way down
I saw you
And you saved me
From myself
And I won't forget
The way you loved me
On the way down
I almost fell right through
But I held onto you

I've been wondering why
It's only me
Have you always been inside
Waiting to breathe
It's alright
Sunlight
On my face
I wake up and yeah, I'm alive

'cause on the way down
I saw you
And you saved me
From myself
And I won't forget
The way you loved me
On the way down
I almost fell right through
But I held onto you

Momma always said...

Tonight as I should have been studying for my Finance exam, I watched Forrest Gump because it happened to be on tv. I almost didn't watch it because I knew it would have been significantly edited in order to be shown on TV. But, I'm glad I decided to watch it since it had been a while since I saw it last. I'm not sure I could appreciate the movie when it came out over 10 years ago. Yes folks, that movie is 10 years old - my how time passes.

Anyway, the movie is still very good and some of the things in the movie are very profound. One thing that hit me was this line at the end of the movie. Jenny had just died and he was speaking to her at her well kept gravesite.

"I don't know if momma was right or Lieutenant Dan, whether we each have a destiny or we are all floating around on a breeze, but I have a feeling that its a little of both... at the same time..."

How true does that feel? I'm sure everyone has considered this question in one way or another. I, like Forrest, believe that it's a little of both at the same time. Sometimes the breeze takes us to where we're going a little faster, a little more direct. Often it takes us in another direction, but I don't think life wouldn't be life without those little detours. And don't forget, sometimes we think we're on a detour, that we've been taken off our destined path - only to find we were going the wrong way all along.

Nap Good, Alarm Clock Bad

So I've been going on little sleep this week for no apparent reason. I'm usually ready to get to bed at a decent hour, but it never happened. Anyway, so I got up this morning earlier than usual so I could help my class deliver doughnuts to a local hospital nursing unit before 7 AM. Needless to say, I was a bit tired tonight, so I took a nice 2 hour nap right when I got home. I set my alarm clock on my phone to wake me up before Joan of Arcadia came on. (Yes, I watch the show and think it's really good, so there).

Anyway, the nap was wonderful. I might try doing that a couple time a week to see if it helps the sleeping at all.

On a completely unrelated note - Jay Leno had this guy who calls himself the King of Texas on the show tonight. This guy, whose name is Dick Tips, gets dressed up in some hideous red 17th century military-like getup and travels with a police escort and a mariachi band. I tried to find a picture of this guy on the internet, but was unsuccessful. (Word to the pure and wise - don't do a google search on "Dick Tips" if you hadn't already figured that out). So alas, I can't share the joy of the King of Texas on my blog, but I'll work on finding a screenshot of tonight's show.

I'm going to bed now and plan to sleep for a good long time.

Snow, Birthdays, and Personalities

I couldn't really decide what to blog about tonight, so I came up with a few goings on. We're supposed to get a large weather system in the Richmond area tomorrow. Originally, this was supposed to be the largest snow storm for the area in a couple of years. It now looks like we'll get the same mix of snow, rain, and sleet. I'm hoping it doesn't hinder my class' fundraiser tomorrow night.

My brother turned 34 today. We'll be celebrating on Sunday though as his birthday starts the week of birthdays in his family. Within 8 days, we have his birthday, my sister-in-law's birthday, and my nephew's birthday. It should rightfully be noted that he's the oldest out of that group (and much older than his youthful brother and sister). :-) [Yes, I know - I will be old one day and this will all come back to haunt me, but it is fun for now]

Finally, in my "group therapy" class tonight (For those of you unfamiliar, it isn't group therapy, but the nickname my classmates have given this class), we talked Myers-Briggs. I've taken it a couple times before and again, typed out as ISTJ. It seems to fit me pretty well. (For those of you unfamilar, you can check out some of the links below). For those who know me, what do you think?

Links

• Personality Pathways


• The Personality Page


• Some random site

Networking

I went to a networking dinner tonight. Anyone in a professional or business-related field (or field of study) should be pretty familiar with the term networking. It is usually stressed from day one of classes. Of course, being in a healthcare executive masters program, it's stressed as much or more than one would suspect. I know how important it is, but I've just never been that good at it. I feel so stupid going up to complete strangers at "networking" events - especially these big executives. I'm always thinking something like "Why would he/she have any desire to take away from their time to catch up with their friends to talk to some lowly student."

Anyway, recognizing this fault of mine, I've tried to purposefully make myself go up and talk to people in these "networking" situations. In addition, I'm trying to make my goal to meet someone new and establish a contact with them each month. The point of it all is to make myself practice. And I have to say it is kind of working. I still feel stupid as all get out (is it one word, "getout" in that context???), I'm doing it and am being somewhat successful. I've also found that I'm beginning to get more comfortable with doing it. So maybe by next year, I'll have it down pat.

The Digital World is Grand

So I'm really digging this iPod I won last week. Now, it is only an iPod Shuffle, but still - free iPod, pretty cool. And before the digital music revolution, in what other context could you be listening to "Bright Lights" by Matchbox 20 and the next song is "Living on a Prayer"???? I'm not sure there is even a radio station that could have that line up. Ah, song switched - I've now got "Right Now" by SR-71. Good stuff.

(In the time it has taken me to figure out what I am going to write next, the song changed again - "Bus Driver" by Caedmon's Call.)

Other than my normal school stuff, I don't have too much going on. Just going through my daily routine. Oh - and there is some bug going around town. In the past 2 weeks, I think almost half (maybe a little more) of my classmates have been or currently are sick. Hopefully it's all the same thing so we all don't get sick twice! So stock up on the Vitamin C because the cold and flu are coming your way.

Not quite ready

The last three days have flown by. Getting back into my school routine has been tough. I've been trying to get my apartment clean again, but I haven't made much progress. I did manage to get my homework done, but the catchup phase is always the hardest. I am glad to be getting back to see everyone though. After spending day after day with these 26 other people - you come to miss them when you don't see them for a week!

I'd like to atone for something quickly. Since resuming my blog, I have yet to mention the impressive performance from my Virginia Tech Hokies! I'm not sure if you were able to see the game where we beat (then) #7 Duke. I wasn't able to see it because I was on a plane back to Richmond. But when I landed, I had a few messages on my cell phone alerting me to the good news. I will be sure to enjoy this victory for a while. And to make things better, less than 48 hours later, Tech creamed Miami 71-58. These boys are on a roll and are here to stay in the ACC.

A week feels like a month

It's always amazing how when you get home from a "vacation" where you miss work and school, you feel like you've fallen a month or so behind. I'm in catch-up mode now trying to get all my work caught up since I didn't have the time to do it while I was in Texas. I had fully planned on reading and getting some work done last week, but the rigorous schedule prohibited that. So tomorrow will be devoted to getting my apartment clean once again and catching up on all the work I missed.

In other Dallas-related news, my sleep schedule seems to have been altered. I was in bed by 10 (CST) every night and up at 5 every morning. I have been very sleepy since I've been home and have not been able to stay in bed past 10 AM - which is VERY odd for me. I usually can sleep well past noon on a day when I have nothing disturbing my slumber. Oh well, it is probably for the good.

I'm back

Well I made it back from Dallas. I thought I'd have time to blog from the conference, but they kept us sooo busy I only got time to check my e-mail every other day! There are a ton of stories from the trip, but I won't bore the world with them here. Some highlights consisted of me winning an iPod Shuffle and riding to dinner at this Mexican restaurant in a stretch Hummer limo. The downside is that I got sick Wednesday night and am just recovering now. So, hopefully by tomorrow night I'll get some pictures up for you.

I met many cool people down in Texas and overall, it was a good experience. I got to see Barbara Bush speak. I wouldn't have guessed it, but she was most delightful and very witty and funny. She was a bit out of place at a healthcare informatics conference, but she handled it well.

Alright, well I'm gonna get some more sleep and hope to fully recover tomorrow when I wake up!

Very Short For Now

AHHHH! I still have so much to do before I leave tomorrow. It's insane. Anyway, I did want to post before I went to bed tonight. Don't have a lot to talk about because my mind is in a thousand different places right now. I found out that I might be going on a ski trip soon, so that could be fun. We'll have to see what schedule my boss gives me when he (and I) get back from "vacation."

On another note, the low-riding pants bill was tabled in the General Assembly today. So it looks like I won't go to jail this summer. :-) If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out this post from the other night. Nonetheless, the bill has gained national attention - Jay Leno made a joke about it tonight (although he mentioned that the bill passed, which it has not - and pretty much will not). So go sag all you want.

"I'm on no sleep" or "oh, I'm stressed"

Hope you got the Seinfeld references from the title. But yes, I'm operating on a minimum amount of sleep as I'm trying to get everything done so I can leave for Dallas on Friday. Today was a long day - I have two classes in the morning, then go to work for a few hours, then I have another class from 5-7pm. So it takes a lot of time out of my nights. Anyway, I'm slowly getting all my work done that has to be turned in before I leave.



So most of you know that I'm a West Wing junkie. Nothing too exciting to talk about as far as the content of the episode, but one of the guest stars took me aback tonight. Christopher Lloyd guest starred as a professor who is an expert in consitutional law. His role was to help Belarus develop their new constitution. Anyway, where has Chris Lloyd been? I'm sure he's been in some movies since "Angels in the Outfield" but I can't think of one. (Ok, so I checked IMDB and see he's done some stuff) Maybe he should have retired after Back to the Future. ;-)

Great weather

Ah, it was 70 degrees today. Yes, its the beginning of February and it's 70 degrees. While I am still quite too busy to enjoy the weather fully, I was able to drive to and from work with the windows down and the shades on. So, those 10 minute drives were enjoyable.

Don't you love a productive day? I didn't feel that productive in school, but I got a lot accomplished at work today and then got a lot of my homework done tonight. In fact, I stayed up late working on some assignments that aren't due for a while just because I was in that productive mode. I'm sure most people can relate to that feeling somehow.




So, have you heard about this group called The 5 Browns? These guys are amazing. They consist of 2 brothers and 3 sisters, all of whom play the piano - and play it really well. They decided to put their talents to use at the same time. Just having 5 siblings that can play the piano that well is amazing. But for them to keep tempo and compliment each other at all at the same time, that's pretty darn amazing. I mean you try to play "Flight of the Bumblebee" by yourself. Imagine playing it and having to keep time with 4 other people. Anyway, I don't think they're going to make millions, but I do think it's pretty unique.

Getting ahead, but missing out

So I'm leaving for Dallas, TX on Friday to go to a conference next week. Since I'm going to be missing a week of school and work, I'm trying to get as far ahead as I possibly can before I leave. What this means in the here and now is that I'm missing out on the pleasant weather we're having. It's supposed to be around 60 the next few days, but I'm not spending much time outdoors because of the work I'm trying to get done. I suppose its for the better, and I'll have the spring and summer to enjoy. I also suppose I'd be more bummed if my knee would let me run. :-)

Ok, so I'm watching the news and this is a story I think is great. Virginia General Assembly Delegate Algie Howell (D-Norfolk) has introduced HR-1981 which makes it illegal to intentionally wear one's pants below the waistline, thus exposing the person's underwear. The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a story on the bill. Anyway, I think this is quite humorous - I'm not so sure it elicits the same reaction from most people I talk to. I just have the vision of these police officers chasing around teenagers yelling at them (in a voice that resembles the stereotypical grandparent) to "pull up those britches." It'd also be interesting come summertime when practically any male between the ages of 10 and 30 walking around without a shirt would technically be guilty of this crime. I know I would at least. So Virginia, I apologize - I didn't realize that reading the "American Eagle Outfitters" on the waistband of my boxers was so offensive.

Superbowl

Well it turned out a bit better than I thought. I didn't think the Eagles would have enough to even make it interesting, but they tried. Philly was just too slow getting set pretty much the whole 4th quarter and McNabb made a few poor throwing decisions. Oh well, "real" football starts again in August as NCAA teams start fall practice. Until then, College BBall will hold me over as much as it can. April-July have no hope!

I was pretty disappointed with the ads this year. They weren't bad, but very, very few were above average. Nothing was over the top, nothing made me laugh hysterically. I think its partly because half of the ads were for cars or movies.

On another note, my knee is still being a huge pain. To bring everyone up to speed - I started running a little over a year ago. I'd usually do 2-3 miles 4 to 5 times a week, no problem. This summer, my knee gave out on me one day during a run. Ever since, i can only run about 1 mile before my knee says no more. Anyway, some runners I know suggested that I get some really good shoes to help out. I did that, with the hope of running a 10K later this year. Well, this weekend I gave it another try - but to no avail. I'm beinning to think that it might be something physically wrong. I'm going to get a compression brace and try that. If that doesn't work - I'm heading to the doctor.

Late Night TV

One of the little known treasures of Saturday night (well Sunday morning, I suppose) is the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air marathon that comes on after SNL on Nick at Night. I stay up way to late watching these episodes, but they are funny. Some of them are funny simply because it's the first season or two and the thought of superstar Will Smith sporting parachute pants and horendous clothing is humorous. The current episode is one that I hadn't seen before. It features Carlton finding out that he's the father of this kid. Good times.

From the PowerBook tonight...

I think I've forgotten to mention my split personalities. Not so much from an emotional standpoint (although, I could make a case for that), but from a computing standpoint. Yes, I am going to exhibit my nerdness for a bit here. I was given an Apple PowerBook G4 for work this year and it's great. I still like my PC, but I use them both quite a bit.

I am tired and will be (hopefully) sleeping in tomorrow. I also feel a touch of some bug coming on too. I'm going to be taking a preemptive attack on the sickness because I have zero time to be sick.

The superbowl's on Sunday - who do people think is going to win?

Purpose

Today, I've been reflecting a lot on purpose. Perhaps it was because my day started off with learning about organizational missions, visions, and values. Purpose is often something I struggle with. What am I here for? What am I about?

This was compounded at work today. My past jobs - while good experiences - never created a sense of purpose in me. I never felt like what I was doing was ever really that important to anyone. Sure, I helped people get jobs (very indirectly), I helped entertain people, I furthered the cause of academia, and threw a lot of good parties. Sure, these things had purpose to them, but I didn't feel as if it was a purpose worth devoting my life to.

I attended a lunch seminar today about doctor-administrative relations. Anyone in healthcare can tell you that the relationship between the physicians and the administrators is very rarely positive and productive. This hospital CEO told us that we have to be reminded that the physicians purpose is the take care of that one patient at that specific time. Administrators' purpose is to focus on the community and be sure that the help is available. So that got my brain cranking a bit.

Anyway, I go into work today as always. My boss was out of the office, so I was working by myself for a significant amount of time anyway - which really gets my brain juices going. But then, I ended up having to explain why the project I was working on was important to the hospital a couple of times. Without going into the details about the project, what it's all about is patients! Yes, I am working on something that could potentially help save a person's life - or at the very least, prevent something from interfering with a physicians attempts to treat a patient. I think I like the healthcare industry because one's purpose is clear - no matter what position you hold - your purpose is to help provide the best patient care. It's a tie that bonds us all together. It's something everyone understands.

I often wonder what I should be learning through all of this. I question what God is doing very often. I still do not understand what He wants my purpose to be. I'm not sure that I ever will. But I am comforted - almost excited even - that I am beginning to take hold of some purpose in my life.

Oops

I realized that I had made a bit of an error today. As I was driving home, I drove by my realtor's office and noticed a person coming out of the door. It struck me that I have yet to pay my rent for this month and most likely would have completely forgotten. My landlord wants all checks in on the 1st, no exception, so I usually have them in a day or so early - just so I won't forget. But, I guess the new job and school starting up fried my brain. Anyway, I'll take care of that tomorrow, so do not fear - I will still have a place of residence.

In other news, tonight was the President's State of the Union address. First, I hope that you knew/realized that the speech was tonight. Second, I hope you watched it. I'm not saying that you had to agree with what the president said, but as citizens of this country, it is important to know what issues are being bounced around Washington that might affect you. Obviously, the big issue of President Bush's 2nd term is revamping Social Security. Attentional all 20/30-somethings --> this is important to you! You really should be paying attention to the plans being offered and letting your reps and senators know how you feel about the issue. If Bush gets legislation to move on Social Security, it may be one of the most radical domestic change in quite some time. Plus - I'm sure you'll want to know where your bimonthly checks will be starting on your 65th birthday.

Ok, enough political ranting. The other major news item today - it's (well it was) Groundhog Day. Good ol' Phil saw his shadow, so the cold continues. Yippee.

Uninspiring

Tonight doesn't bring anything to start a major debate or inspire anyone. Just a quick entry before I head to bed. I was busy getting some other stuff done before I was able to get on the computer to blog, so it will get negleted.

Today was pretty decent. It seems to be getting warmer out. I think that this is really because everyone is just getting desensitized to the cooler temperatures. Oh well, whatever makes me feel warmer I suppose.

Lastly, tonight at MANGROUP (my new LifeGroup at church), it was game night to celebrate the end of their (what I can only assume to be) 3 month study on the book of Hebrews. Anyway, someone brought this game called Acquisition. I'd never seen it before (granted, it was made in the 1960s or 70s). Anyway, it was a pretty decent game. It's a strategy game where you have to balance cash flow and investing in order to be the richest at the end of the game. Unfortunately, I setup this deal that was pretty risky - and had it worked out, I would have been fine - but didn't materalize, so I came in last. Anyway, if you see it, give it a go. It's kind of like Monopoly, but without the luck.