Sites of the week

It’s been awhile.

So long in fact, that Jen asked kindly (insisted) that I reintroduce myself. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but for those of you who haven’t read an “i{heart}thestamper” post before, it means I’m Tony. I’m Jen’s husband, Ellie’s dad, and the guy who gets to “ooh & ahh” at all of Jen’s creations even though I don’t know what I’m looking at. It also means you should check out my previous writings since they are pretty entertaining, if I do say so myself. My contributions to her site are rarely stamping related, and when they are it’s usually to poke fun at you crazy women (yes, I stereotype her audience) and your obsession with paper and ink. Beyond that, you are subject to whatever topic is on my mind, and the resulting ramblings.

I took the fall off from writing, because Job Search 2008 was in full effect. I left the workforce in August 2007 to go back full time for my MBA. When August 2008 rolled around, the game dictated that I start pimping myself out for the next job. Given the current job market, this required big pimping. I ended up visiting such fantasy destinations as Atlanta, Santa Clara, Minneapolis and Bentonville (twice!) in hopes of landing the next gig. The choices became apparent as Thanksgiving approached, and tough decisions needed to be made. Luckily, I was in position to make decisions, as many of my classmates continue to search for light at the end of their respective tunnels. The good news: I start work tomorrow in my second career for American Airlines. There are some sweet perks to working for an airline, as any of you who ever have can attest. Since they are local, I get to start sooner than any job I would have had to relocate for, which means an additional benefit of dropping the worst insurance known to man; that provided by TCU. Alright, enough of this, on to my ramblings…

I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that I discovered the HBO series “The Wire” the same month Hollywood would subject us to “Bride Wars” & “New in Town.” They seem content to retread ideas from the past and pass them off as new and original movies. “People loved ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’ let’s switch it to Minnesota and swap Renee Zellweger for Reese Witherspoon and call it a day!”

For the last month, I have trucked through the first 3.5 seasons (of 5 total) of “The Wire” and tend to agree with those who claim its one of the greatest shows ever, surpassing even “The Sopranos” because of its social relevance. “The Sopranos” put us in a position to love unlovable characters, because the writing and acting was terrific. But in real life, we would be terrified of almost everyone on the show.

There is a different reason to be terrified of what we witness in “The Wire.” I believe that the elements of the show that make it riveting (city decimated by drugs, poverty, police & political corruption) are more realistic in any town than an Italian mob. I’m not sure if that last statement is pessimistic (that I think every major city in American is in urban decay) or naïve (that I think organized crime isn’t a problem in those same cities). Regardless, I find myself craving more every time I watch. So far, there hasn’t been a happy ending in site, and I don’t expect one soon.

However, where I am in the series has a new Mayor-elect making some sweeping changes. He is young, ambitious, and most of all seemingly sincere in his desires to heal what ails his beloved city. Again, I find it no coincidence that in these times, a similarly charismatic man is about to head our country for four of the most important years in our nation’s history. While he may not bring the same sunshine and daffodils happy ending “New in Town” will shovel at you, I do expect change.

Change we can believe in.

Td

I’m married to one. It’s unfortunate really, because not even the show Intervention would be able to help me. On the bright side however, it’s not the illegal narcotic my wife craves, but the soft drink.

I mention this because in some people, “addictive personality” is a way of describing potential downfalls. But in her world (and yours) of stamping, it sure seems to be a blessing. Jen is relentless in her pursuit of perfection when it comes to putting together cards and projects. She is constantly tweaking, testing, exploring, reinventing new ways to put ink and paper together. Once Ellie and I oblige with the requisite “oohs and ahhs,” Jen returns to her cave to go after the next challenge (I have to admit, most of them look the same to me).

Meanwhile, my selfish parts just want my wife back. She has the most demanding job known to humanity (full time mom) and yet witness the volume contributed to magazines, blogs, design teams and her own site each day. Those of you who share this hobby I’m sure understand the sheer number of hours that go into any single project. I don’t know where the drive to do what she does comes from, but then I guess I don’t understand anything else about women, so why should this be different?

The girl that turned Jen on to stamping has actually given it up (for the most part) and taken up a new obsession: baking. Now THAT is something I could get behind! Imagine coming home to tasty baked goodness in lieu of every card she creates… mmm, I can feel my waistline expanding already.

Meanwhile, I am the great enabler. The other night as I was leaving Jen sniveled that she wished she had something to drink. Rather than stick to my guns, I stopped by the convenience store and doubled back with a 2-liter. I say that to say, as much as part of me would be thrilled if she threw away everything in that stamp room and learned instead the art of deep tissue massage, the part that loves her more remembers Red’s words from The Shawshank Redemption:

I have to remind myself that some birds weren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knew it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But your world is just that much colder and emptier when they’re gone. I don’t know… maybe I just miss my friend.

Speaking of gone, I might be missing from this space for a time. School starts back up before my next blog is due, and I’ll be carrying 15 hours plus trying to work at least 20. So if you really miss my ramblings you may have to settle for the archives - see you in 2009.

Td

Jen says I need to reintroduce myself.

I don’t know why, she doesn’t reintroduce herself every time she blogs. If you people just need to know something about the person who contributes to Jen’s blog every month, then I’m sure you can find your way over to the archives and look for yourself. If a couple of clicks are more effort than you’re willing to exert, then you must be perfectly happy with the level of knowledge you have about your guest author.

Or, I could just do it like Jen asked, and give you a brief snippet. Heaven forbid I do it without venting about it first though! Well, that makes for a nice segue into the intro. I am Jen’s husband, and she made me, err, I am delighted to contribute to her blog every month. I have carte blanche to ramble on about whatever might be on my mind, and some months are more interesting than others.

I have given up working (for a time) and gone back to school for my MBA. Since I am in the middle of my summer vacation, captivating ideas (not to mention motivation to seek them out) are fleeting.

But today I have some interesting news. One of my oldest friends reappeared in my life just moments ago. As I type this Jen is trying to fall asleep, so I don’t want to mention it or she will not get the rest she needs (we had a wonderful party for Ellie’s 2nd birthday today, but i know it took its toll on Jen and she was already fighting the crud).

This guy was the only friend I needed from first grade through eighth. My family moved before I started high school, and that’s when our connection started to fade. We stayed in contact mainly through our sports, but those were obviously much less frequent than school.

Quick note - he teamed with his mom and I with my dad in a junior/adult bowling league. My team’s name was “Problemas” and people who went up against us usually had them.

Anyhow, as the internet tends to allow, you can track just about anyone down who is online. I googled his name every so often for the last few years, but always came up empty. I did it again randomly yesterday for the first time (I think) in 2008, and found him in a snap.

I was 99% sure I found the right guy, but until his email arrived I wasn’t holding my breath. So now if you’ll excuse me, I have to reintroduce myself to him, and I don’t think he’s reading this post…

Td

I despise flying.

I don’t know anyone who just jumps up and says “I love air travel! I wish I could make a big living as a flight attendant so I could be in the air all day!” Thus I don’t necessarily expect you to feel sorry for me from the first statement alone. We all have a special little morsel of spite inside we save just for the airlines I’m sure. But, the maker chose to grow me over six and a half feet, so imagine your discomfort with another foot of height (and probably a few extra “ell-bees”).

On top of that, I’ve had “malfunctioning” ears since before I could walk. Tubes as a toddler, years of infections and problems, a surgery in 2003 to help, and lingering troubles ever since. (I should shoulder most of the blame for the chronic issues. I’ve grown so used to the symptoms that I hardly think about them anymore. Once I get some good insurance this vicious cycle must end.) As you can imagine, bunk ears and going from zero to 35,000 feet and back down within a few hours can make for some additional discomfort.

So with all that in mind, guess what? I’ll be getting on a plane 6 times in the next three weeks! D’oh!

As part of my summer internship, I’ll be visiting most (if not all) of the company’s branches. So envy me as I travel to such exotic locations as Enid, Oklahoma, Springdale, Arkansas, and chic Muleshoe, Texas! (yes, there is really a city called Muleshoe in Texas.)

Wherever possible I’ll be driving between locations, but logistically I can’t just pull a John Madden and cruise from town to town or I’d spend half my time in the car. So I must brave the airways time and again, this summer. I’ll probably have to pay surcharges just to use the lavatories.

But, I am enjoying the heck out of my internship so far. I have been able to use a lot of my school-taught theories, and have learned even more. The next few weeks should be pretty eye opening in the grander scheme of my project (which I can’t really share in detail, top secret stuff!)

So while I’ll undoubtedly run across a TSA agent that I will wish bad things upon, fear not, for I shall come out on the other side with a grander prize than my own crystal skull – inventory data! So what if I’m “hung over” for a few days afterwards.

Td

P.S. For anyone looking for an Indy review, I don’t plan on writing one. I liked the movie a lot. The most common complaint I hear from people is that “it’s not very believable.” And the first three were what, non-fiction?? Give me a break. Three thumbs up from Td.

It seems so foreign, and yet so familiar. There is no question that when I show up, I will recognize the surroundings, but they will be all new faces. Seats filled with people having more or less the same goals as me, willing to pay the price (supposedly) to see it happen. I have high expectations this time around (I wouldn’t have made the sacrifices if I didn’t) yet the looming threat of disappointment remains the elephant in the room. Have I made the right choices? I can’t second guess them: when made, each was made with the best intentions and the deepest of thought. So theoretically, I have put myself in the situation I need to be in for success.

A lot of people say success is what you make of it. Or put another way, you get back what you put into it. Same difference. But in reality a large portion of your success is 100% in the hands of others. The decisions they make and the paths they choose, help define the situation you are in.

But I can’t help myself. I am so excited for this next chapter I can barely contain myself. For a long time it seemed like I would never have the opportunity, and then when the chips fell just right, time slowed down to a snail’s pace as each interminable day flipped off my Dilbert Desktop Calendar.

Alas, the day is neigh. What seems like an eternity of waiting is almost over. Preparation meets dedication when on May 22, the new Indiana Jones movie hits a theater near you, and I will be at the one near me.

As far as I’m concerned, Harrison Ford is the coolest man alive and has been since before I was born (since Han Solo says me, others may argue for Bob Falfa). Nobody else matches his resume for coolness when you count Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, Dr. Richard Kimble, etc. Well, at least nobody off the top of my head – and who would do research to prove themselves wrong?

In 2 Fridays, His Coolness (tipping the figurative scales at 2 months shy of 66 by my calculations) dons the whip and Herbert Johnson hat once more, almost 20 years since The Last Crusade. Some think the movie will act as a torch passing to newcomer Shia LaBeouf. (Rumor has it the torch was primed and ready to be handed to Ben Affleck some time ago, before the Bennifer & Gigli debacles and no one wanted to see Ben on the big screen again). Others are cringing at the though of another of their childhood favorites being ravaged by the Hollywood sequel machine.

Either way I don’t care. I just want to see Indy on the screen one more time, and enjoy the movie like I have the first three.

Wait, did I start writing this to talk about Indiana Jones or the fact that I’m going back to work on Monday for my summer internship? Who knows. Indy is definitely cooler though, so I’m glad it went that way…

*cue Indy theme music*
Da-da-da-daaaaa, da-da-daaaa

Td