The Thoughts of Funky Troll

Michael Axelrod

2006-01-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

Did you see the incident with the Bulls/Knicks game yesterday? A fan, Michael Axelrod, and player Antonio Davis' wife got into a confrontation yesterday. While playing, Davis looked up and believed that someone was threatening his wife. He entered the stands to protect her and see what was going on. He didn't throw punches, he was calm. Security was no where to be found. Davis was thrown out of the game, as was the fan. Davis' wife was removed too. Today Davis was suspended five games.

Now this dude, Axelrod claims that Ms. Davis threatened him and put her hands on him. For this he threatens to sue for one million dollars. One million dollars - are you kidding me? Looking at the video there were words exchanged but it didn't get out of hand. Surrounding fans said some of the things he said to her. This kind of thing pisses me off - one million dollars? I hate reading about crap like that. People today are too damn quick to try to make a buck and sue just for the hell of it. Was anything that transpired yesterday worth one million dollars? No - someone need to just kick some sense into him. Jesus - one million dollars? If I were the judge I would throw it out and sue his monkey ass for wasting my time. I have your millon dollars up your ass tool boy. Why don't you get your monkey ass to work and earn some money instead of looking for a free ride handout. How about I shove my foot up your ass a million times?

Are you Ready for some Football?!

2005-09-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

The 2005 NFL season kicks off in just two days. My CDFL page has been revamped and ready to go (at least later today). I have three more teams to do, then I will eventually work on the team archives and draft stuff. Check it out at http://www.geocities.com/cdflinisider
The Silver Dragons are ready for action and we go up against Ed Rollin's Moscow Maulers in week 1. It looks to be a balanced game. The Silver Dragons look to snap a 10 game losing streak.
Some of my thoughts for this coming season and my pre-season picks.

I am excited to not be working weekends any longer, so maybe for once I can actually watch some football. I would like to watch Lions RB Kevin Jones in action. Barry Sanders was my favorite player and I think this kid may be a good one to watch.

Here are my picks: AFC East - has to be the Patriots. AFC North - Cincinnati Bengals! AFC South - Indianapolis. AFC West - Kansas City. Wild card teams - Baltimore and Jacksonville. NFC East - Philadelphia. NFC North - Minnesota. NFC South - Atlanta. NFC West - St. Louis. Wild card team: Detroit and Arizona.

My fantasy baseball team, Area 51 Invasion secured the 4th seed in the playoffs, which begin this week. Go Invasion!

Also, I start ACC/529 today at UoP. I received my economics grade yesterday. The 4.0 is gone :(, but I did receive an A-. So, 3.92 is not bad considering I am a 2.75 GPA high school and college student. I don't know what my final grade point wise was. I am hoping that Iget that when I get back to work tomorrow. This accounting one has me nervous. Most people that I have seen on my team have not done too well in this class. Mostly a C or lower. I will need to work hard on this one!

New Orleans

2005-09-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Another news event, more bitching. First, just to show I am not completely heartless, I sorry that those affected by the hurricane lost family members and property that they spent a life time amassing.

Now to all of the bitching about race. Find a new crutch. First off, who would want to live in a city on the water that is below sea-level? Second, New Orleans was a hole to begin with. I have yet to see a city more dirty and nasty everytime I went there. Next, when you are told days ahead of time to leave, why not leave? One of my old co-workers used to live in New Orleans. She told me whenever a hurricane would come, they would get drunk and have hurricane parties. Get the heck out of town! Obviously from the long lines on the news before the storm, many did get out.

People critized the length of the response and blame George Bush. It isn't his fault. States have the responsibility to govern themselves first, then ask for Federal assistance. He declared it a disaster area when the storm hit, so there was money available. The people that are bitching now are the same ones that call for less government until they want something. Then it is "Where's mine", "What's the government going to do for me?". Also, if the Federal government stepped in immediately, then people would complain about state's rights and how the Federal government is trying to take over. Then you see Kanye West. Shut up dude - go get a shovel and sell some of your bling bling on EBay. I haven't seen you do anything except complain. Go help out. That's the other thing, not to be racial, but in watching CNN, Fox News, MSNBC the only black people I saw that were not being evacuated was the Mayor and a few policeman. I see a bunch of black leaders on tv complaining, but so far I haven't seen any helping out. I didn't see any outcrying last year when the old white people in Florida were hit by four hurricanes.

Now the evacuees are being distributed all over the country. If they did have insurance, I am not sure how the companies will find them to get them the money. Hopefully there are records being kept as to who is being sent where. If I were them, I wouldn't move back. This is a bad event, but good can be made from it. It is a new chance. Many times people that grow up in the projects don't leave the hood. That is all they know, which is keeping them down. Now they have a new place, a new opportunity to start anew. Find these people jobs, get them off welfare and allow them to prosper. They are now in a new environment with new people and new surroundings. This is an opportunity to change their lives around.

I have seen that the hurricane would affect the economy next year. I think that it will help out eventually. Just think of the new jobs that will be needed to clean up and rebuild New Orleans. Plus, if the evacuees can be given jobs, that will help lower the unemployment rate. Plus, it will cut out Federal expenditures if you get those on welfare and food stamps off of the system. When New Orleans is rebuilt, I imagine it will be cheap to move in there. They will want to invite people back. Citizens may be hesitant to come back, so the prices will have to remain low to attract business and citizens to come back. It does have the possibility of a new start for the city and its people. It is a good way to turn a bad situation around.

Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

This lady is still on the news. Almost as much as the Alabama girl missing in Aruba. There are always protests and Sheehan out there among them. Don't these people have jobs? I do feel bad that she lost her son and has to deal with that. That part should not be questioned. But asking why President Bush killed her son? She also mentioned that Bush should send his own daughters into war. That's where I draw the line. Go get some counseling and shut up. I am cold hearted, but after a while most people would get tired of it. We have been at war since the end of 2001. Her son first joined in 2000, when granted things were pretty slow. Oh sure, Clinton sent the boys to a few places, but nothing as massive as Iraq and Afganistan. He re-enlisted in 2003. There is no draft. He didn't have to re-enlist. Maybe she didn't like him being in the Army. The fact is that when you sign up for the Army (as I almost did in 2001), you know that there is a chance you could be called into action. If there is action, you could be shot. If you could be shot, you could die. Same goes with fire fighters and police officers. If a wife loses her police husband, does she cry out to the mayor? Why are did you kill my husband? No, she doesn't. It is a part of the job. If you don't like it, don't enlist. They will not call you to fight if you are not in the service. Granted, if I were in charge, the war would be over be now, but then again the war is fought differently that I would. People are too concerned about humanities and other people's impressions to be worth anything lately. The world is getting tougher and we need to take tougher actions. The war needs to be dealt with, the immigration issues and a lot of social issues.

For the war - Iraq and Afganistan are dry, deserts. From living in the Southwest, and you see every year on the news, dry deserts burn. You know the people are hiding out in caves - set the hills on fire. They will either leave or burn. They are probably hiding in Pakistan anyway. Clean that place out next. Pretending to be allies, but probably hiding the enemy. Step two - announce that on a specific date, let's say September 25 (since it's my birthday) that we are pulling out our troops from Iraq. That will no doubt cause joy in the streets, Anti-American rallys will gather in the streets of Iraq. Many of the bad guys, but a few regular citizens will be there. Sorry about the next few minutes regular citizens. The war is brought on by crazed extreme religious folks in the Middle East and their ideals. While they are gathered in the streets celebrating our departure, drop a little jihad on them. Bombs away boys. That will stop those protests. The next step is to freeze all funds going to Iraq, Saudi Arabi and Iran. It they don't have money, they will need to find other means. It is funny that many come here and use our education system and resources, then go home to bitch about it. Next, spend money researching alternative fuels. If we create a fuel source and revamp cars to not run on gasoline, other countries will come to us for the new fuel, which will create jobs and money for the US. Not to mention, we will no longer be needing the oil, thank you Abdul. That dry, piece of crap piece of the world will no longer have value to anyone. Enjoy the sand fellows. Now that the troops won't be needed there, bring them back to the US and guard the border. Hello Senior Fox! No more illegals coming into the country. I don't have a problem with people coming in legally. Take the proper measures to become a citizen. Take that history test that probably half of the Americans couldn't pass and become a citizen the right way. If not, back you go. While we are at it - put some up near Canada. Who knows what those mounties are up to anyway? If the Mexicans thought about it, save up some money for a flight, go to Canada and come across that way. No one would notice.

I understand that people complain about tighter security and thinking that Big Brother is watching them and taking away their rights. Well, the world is getting tougher and sometimes things need to change. If you were out watching the neighborhood block instead of hanging inside watching American Idol, maybe we would catch some bad guys.

Now that I am in the final day of ECO/533, I will have a week to get back to the blog.

Rafael Palmeiro Suspended

2005-08-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

It will be interesting to see how things unfold for Raffi. Steroids have not given long term damage to Gary Sheffield or Jason Giambi, but neither of them are Hall of Famers nor took oath before Congress.

It is interesting as to why a player obviously at the end of his career would put himself in jeopardy. What would be gain? Another .280 season with home run totals that are now considered average? Yes, he reached two milestones this season, but he wouldn't need steroids for that.

I think that there needs to be an education program in the major leagues regarding the new policy. When you make a change to your organization, you need to train your employees on why the changes occurred, what they encompass and how it will benefit them. They obviously know why the changes are occurring. Fan and Congressional pressure to rid the sport of steroids. Not to mention the impact it may have on youths looking up to players. The benefit will be obvious as well. If the game is considered clean, they are competing on an even playing field based on talent alone. The questions that fans have surrounding players like Barry Bonds would be gone and he wouldn't have to live with that. What they encompass seems to be the big issues. Players say they didn't take anything illegal, they didn't know what it was, it was something over the counter, etc. There should be a program that says these items are bad. The stuff that Mark McGuire used to take can be bought on any GNC shelf and is not illegal. Players need to know that stuff will be read as a positive. Maybe Raffi wasn't taking steroids. We know he takes Viagra - maybe it was that?

Regarding the Hall of Fame. The numbers are definitely there, but so is a new cloud. If he is taking steroids, how did that affect his numbers? Pete Rose can't get in the Hall of Fame for betting on baseball. That was something that occurred after his playing days were over. What he did on the field should be judged against other players on the field. His off the field actions should have no effect on his eligibility. There are plenty in the Hall that have done immoral things. Willie Mays and Duke Snider were banned when they took a job with a casino. They quit and were reinstated. If Pete is not gambling any longer, what's the problem? The difference between Pete and Raffi is that his actions took place and affected his on the field performance. That should be taken into account and his enshrinement should be, at the least, delayed. I would questions whether he should be even eligible now.

Checking In

2005-07-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted. I can easily quote my old diary as a 12 -14 year old and say what I wrote nearly everyday - "nothing happened".

I am in week 2 of my economics class. We have a team paper and individual paper due this week. Two huge papers are at the end of the class. I am nervous. I received my week 1 grade this weekend -100%.

Maggie wrote to me and told me that she sold the house this weekend. That's cool. I know that she and Shane are ready for a place of their own. That is a nice house. I enjoyed building it (well, I didn't actually build it) and living there. It was good times mostly. She was ahead of her time on designing. The painting and decorating ideas she had I thought were differen,t but went for it. Then Trading Spaces comes along and does the same stuff. People love it. So she said she would be able to pay off the two mortgages and a credit card. Most things in our name should be gone after this, except maybe one card which she said would be finished this year anyway.

I was reading some blogs on the bombings in London. The world should hope that I don't get power. If Ghengis Khan and Hitler had a kid, it would be me. I know that the agenda is to cause terror and disrupt business as usual. They would know no terror like me. I can't wait until we discover an alternative to fuel. If I were President, it would be fully funded and the research would be ongoing. Once we are not dependant on oil, that crappy part of the world will matter to know one. Have fun with the sand and the camels.

Another A!

2005-07-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Ray this afternoon. He said that although my grades had some valleys during the course, my final grade was an A. My math was correct and I did finish with a 96.25, I dare say that 3.75 points in a six week Masters program is not too deep of a valley!

Tonight is the All-Star game. I am pulling for the National League - which is who I have pulled for my entire life. No Bonds this year, but Carolos Lee, Derrek Lee, Albert Puljols and some great starting pitching will hold the American League in check.

For the World Cup of baseball that will start next year, I will be pulling for Japan. With my Silver Dragons hailing from Japan, I have to support them.

Just a minor offsite note - Capital One Auto Finance sucks. I should take them over one day. One of these days I will get into my plan for World domination. I do need power. I will give a few target for now - Wal-Mart #1. TicketMaster #2. The banking industry in general #3.

LAW/529 finale

2005-07-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today wraps up another class. The instructor emailed me this morning with results from my papers from Saturday. I received 2/2 for the team discussions questions and 17.5/20 for my papers. Again, little typing mistakes got me. I am assuming I will get 3/3 in participation, as I have all class. I posted tonight to add to the total. By my calculations, I should have a 96.25%, which is greater than 95%. That should mean I still have a 4.0 after all is said and done. Now I just have to wait and find out. I spoke to a student today in his undergraduate program. Just finished his last class tonight. His overall GPA is 3.98. He received 1 A-, but all else were A's. Including two statistic classes, accounting, finance and economics. Very impressive!

I am watching the Home Run Derby. I picked Aundrew Jones to win. He didn't make round 2. The Commissioner annouced today the creation of a world series, if you will. A 16 team championship made of various nations. That's pretty cool. It will have some major league players. I would actually like to see a true World Series tournament in November or so. Take the Cuban champion, the World Series champion, Japanese, Carribean, etc and have the championship team from individual countries take on each other. That would be a rue champion of the world.

Troll: The Movie

2005-07-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

I know that I start lots of things and never finish. Just look at the stack of books from the library always on my floor. I have probably 7 from last week. I haven't completely read any. I skimmed through one teens book. And it had pictures. But it occured to me this week - my troll story, the one that I think is so great (and Jerry Starlin likes it too!) - it needs to be a movie. If you check out my personal webpage, under lifetime goals, it says Troll the movie. So I was thinking, I should write a novel. Then it came down to I should write a screen play. I can see it now. So, I am working on that. I am going back to the library tonight. Returning these books and getting others that will help me with my setting. Obviously it needs more than what I have if it is going to be a movie. I have been reading about screenplays online. Downloaded a few movie scripts to review and get an idea on how to set it up. I have some ideas in my mind. I am sure it will be good if I ever follow through.

I received my week 5 feedback today for LAW/529. I received a perfect score on the team paper, discussion questions and participation. A nice 100% brings my class total to just over 98%. Today is Wednesday, class is over on Monday. One more 20point paper, plus my DQ and participation. If I do well on that paper, I will nail it down.

My Aunt Kathie emailed today. She and Harold are getting married on August 5. They are then coming to Phoenix with my Aunt Bev & Uncle David. Sounds like they are renting a car, driving to California and then to Las Vegas. I have done that before. More power to them. She also said that my younger cousin Christine is moving in with her boyfriend and they are moving here as well. I believe his family lives in Scottsdale. That will be cool. Maybe I will have a friend.

Now I am preparing for my fantasy football draft - August 20, Columbus OH. The Silver Dragons on the way to the title. I will have the first pick. I am mulling it over (see how I can't do one project? I have school, the movie, books, fantasy football - I do have ADD!). I am leaning on taking a RB for my first pick. Last year I decided to prove the theorist wrong and take WR Randy Moss. He did okay, but no running game hurt me, as did suck ass Matt Hasselbeck with the number 2 pick. Guess what, Matt? You are not coming back! Shaun Alexander, whom I like quite mightily is threatening sitting out all year. So I can't take him. I love Edgerrin James too, but he is getting old and has contract issues. Priest Holmes' hip flared up last year, so that is dangerous. Travis Henry may be traded to who knows where. I like Kevin Jones of Detroit, but not at number 1. Maybe 2-3. Curtis Martin could be a nice steal round 2-3 too. I think that leaves me with LaDainian Tomlinson as my guy. I guess it doesn't matter if I say that - I have the first pick so no one can take that, and it is not like anyone reads this anyway.

Is anyone out there?

National Football League 2005

2005-07-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

I still have to cheer for my hometeams of Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons and now the Arizona Cardinals, but this year my underdog is going to be the Detroit Lions. WR Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Charles Rogers along with TE Marcus Pollard and RB Kevin Williams give the team a great nucleus. They need two things - the defense to shut down opponents and QB Joey Harrington to wake up. If he fails, they have QB Jeff Garcia. Don't be surprised if the Arizona Cardinals have a good year out here too. I see QB Kurt Warner running things. If they can get RB Travis Henry from the Bills, they should be good with their core of young WR. The defense needs to play well to keep them in the game.

But the biggest story in football this year will be the Silver Dragons winning the CDFL this year, taking our second title.

Goal Setting

2005-07-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

I need to set some goals. I have no direction really. I try to read books and I do check out many from the library, but I swear to God I have ADD or something. I can't concentrate on reading a book. I get a chapter or two into it (two is stretching it) and I am either day dreaming, looking around, looking at the TV or over come by sleepiness. I have seven books right now that I have from the library. One is even a book for teens about setting goals. I read through it. Lots of illustrations, so that helped. I made it to page 40 and gave up. It was caleld "What do you Really Want?". I thought it might help me determine what I like and what type of goals or career I should go for, but it was really just on the importance of goals and plans on writing them down. That didn't help. I can't write down what I don't know. I am not an idiot. Well not a complete one. I took the Tickle.com IQ test and pulled down a 133. That's not bad. In fact, you would think I should be doing really well. Maybe I am such a genius that I can't be held interested in things. I doubt that. So far I am doing well in school. Two A's in two attempts. I don't know what I want to do with the degree once I obtain it. I have no big life plan. All that I know is that I will be 35 in September. When my Dad was 35, I turned 14. That's like 7th or 8th grade. Almost high school. I don't feel that I could have a high school age kid. True, he has had the same job since he was 16, with the exception of time in the Air Force. But, it seems that I should really have some master plan. 35 is easily middle age. I don't know that I will make it to 70. Maybe, but if not, that means I better get to figuring out something. One thing I know is that the days and weeks speed by more quickly as you get older. It doesn't seem like 8 months today that I packed up the truck and moved from Atlanta to Phoenix. We had our quarter award ceremony at work yesterday. I was thinking didn't we just have this? Regardless of how old I live to be, it is safe to say that plus or minus a few years, 35 is about the mid way point. The first half sure hasn't brought fame, success, triumphs, satisfaction, etc. I can see that things hopefully will be getting better. Now that I am in school, I should be able to get the Master's degree. Yes, I took out student loans, but that money is being spent on paying off bills. By the time that I finish my Master's program(s), I should have my car paid off, all revolving credit paid and only have the student loans. Yes, you have to pay it back, however it is at a rate much lower than a credit card, you have 10 years to pay it back and it has an end in sight. Plus, I don't think it counts as part of a debt to income ration and you can deduct the interest from your taxes. If I would have done this earlier, I would have been finished, had a large student loan debt and went to the army for 2 years. When I almost signed up a few years ago, they told me sign the paper and your student loans are gone. Well thanks, but they were already gone at that point. Maybe I will work on my website to determine some goals for myself.

As far as a career, I have been mulling over a few options. Mostly theories really because I don't have any offers, so they are not really options. I was thinking economics. I don't really know why, but it seems cool. That's my next class, so we will see how cool it really is. I would like to learn a language or two still. Maybe combine them do to international economics. I could work for a government. Doing government work sounds good too. I really don't know what I want, but I do know I want to be paid. Something with a nice pay check would be good. I would like to be able to do what I want, when I want. It would be cool to have houses around the country so that I could travel and visit when I wanted. I am not a car freak, so one would be enough for me. Maybe two. I believe I would stay single. I don't date now because I don't want to spend money on women. If I had money and a good job, they would just want more, so no thanks. I did always want to be Time Man of the Year. I thought I could be the first man on Mars, but I don't see that happening. I am too old for that. I would like to own the Cincinnati Reds. I would also like to buy a town on Ebay, rename it Hayashi then move a professional football team there, renaming them the Hayashi Silver Dragons. I am thinking Detroit Lions would be a good one. Since my favorite, Barry Sanders, played there. They have the tools to compete. Just need a push to get to the glory land. Check the funkytroll website to see if I come up with any goals. Follow through has always been a weakness of mine.

Major League Baseball All-Star Voting

2005-06-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

I love baseball and therefore must vote in the All-Star game. I must say, I have not been to a game yet this year, but I would like to. I did go to one spring training game this year - Angels vs. Giants. It was really cool. Next season I will go more often. I would like to see Ichiro Suzuki. I didn't make it to one of his games this time, although I planned on it.

I submitted my voting just moments ago, narrowly beating the 12:00 midnight ET deadline. If you care, here are my picks:

American League, the junior circuit.
1B - Richie Sexson, Seattle
2B - Alfonso Soriano, Texas
3B - Hank Blalock - Texas
SS - Miguel Tejada - Baltimore (I was tempted to pick Edgar Renterria of Boston)
C - Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit (home field)
OF - Garret Anderson - Angeles (doing well in HR and RBI this season)
OF - Scott Podsednik - White Sox (single handed saving my fantasy team in SB)
OF - Ichiro Suzuki
DH - Dave Ortiz - Boston

National League
1B - Derek Lee - Chicago (Nick Johnson of Washington is having a great year, but Derek is #1)
2B - Marcus Giles - Atlanta (missed last season's due to injury)
3B - Morgan Ensberg - Houston (on fire lately)
SS - Bill Hall - Brewers (this was a write-in for me, but he is hitting HR and stealing bases daily!)
OF - Carlos Lee - Brewers (tearing up the league with Derek Lee)
OF - Andrew Jones - Braves (13 HR in June keeping the Braves alive)
OF - Bobby Abreu - Phillies

There you have my choices. Bill Hall is the first time I have written someone on the lineup in a number of years. I am really impressed this season with the Washington Nationals. I have to root for them. They have been unwatched for years and have to take constant reductions in payroll, which limits their skill players. Frank Robinson is a great manager and he is having good seasons by Livan Hernandez, Nick Johnson, Chad Corderro and Jose Guillen. Junior Spivey just came over and is doing well. Ryan Drese was picked up on waivers from Texas. I have always liked him but he has wilted in the Texas heat. Plus Brad Wilkerson is awesome and Ryan Church is playing well. I like Terrell Sledge as well. I would love to see them win the wild card this year. I have to still go with the Braves to win it. I will be happy with a Nationals wild card though.

formatting

2005-06-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

OK - so that didn't layout quite right. It looks better than that, but you get the idea :)

2005-06-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hayashi Inc 2001 CDFL Champions
1817 N. Dobson Rd. Suite 2102
Chandler, AZ 85224
June 29, 2005

Tim Brehm
Manager, Janitorial Services
145 Main Street
Columbus, OH 45452

Dear Mr. Brehm:

This letter is to serve as your first written warning of failure to comply with the attendance policies of the Hayashi Silver Dragons, as outlined in your employee handbook.

On June 21, 2005, you had your fourth incident of tardiness in a three month period when you arrived 35 minutes late to your work station. You were given a verbal warning after your second incident on June 06, 2005.

As outlined in Hayashi’s employee manual, if your attendance does not immediately improve, you will receive a second written warning following your next incident. Following a second written warning failure to improve your performance to expectations may result in further disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

You are required to sign and date this warning. Copies of this warning, signed by you, will be placed in your personnel file. Your signature on the warning indicates that you discussed it with your manager, including steps you could take to improve performance.

To appeal this action, you must return written notification of your intention to appeal to Andrea Fox in Human Resources no later than 12:00 noon on Tuesday July 05, 2005.

Sincerely, __________________
Tim Brehm
Mark D. Trollinger
__________________
Mark D. Trollinger Mark D. Trollinger

General Manager __________________
Andrea Fox

cc: Ray November

UoP Coursework

2005-06-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have to say, the papers lately have been playing into my hands. With my history of running my fantasy football website, making team calendars, tennis shoes, fan brochures, media blitzes, etc. - creating memos and letters are a piece of cake. I prepare mine to look official - just like my fantasy football stuff. Other students do the homework and post it. When I see it in the newsgroup, it is just a post. Mine looks like an actual document. I should post my week 4 memo and the first warning letter that I did tonight. The post tonight wasn't an actual assignment, but what you might call a sundry question posed by the instructor.

My previous usage of the memo form has received comments proclaiming its high energy and creativity. Shaq said it best on his first CD when he said "I hate to brag, but damn I'm good!". I received my week 4 feedback from LAW/529 - 100% for the week. That gives me still only missing 1.25 points cummulative for the class. This week's paper is 15 points and next week's is 20 points. That is 45% of our total grade, so still time to screw it up. I need to more good performances and I can take a break off for a week. I have already paid my resource fee for ECO/360.

One thing I am considering is that I can replace my stats class and one of the management classes with two classes that are in the Doctoral program. Those will serve as a bridge. They are 8 weeks instead of 6. If I were to go for a Doctorate, that classes would count as both. I may try to push them back until after March, so that I can get my Sept. and March financial aid check. I am not sure if I will do it or not. Any advice would be appreciated.

Same Sex Marraige Ban

2005-06-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

This mornings Arizona Republic newspaper had opposing viewpoints on same sex marraige. It appears that they are doing a petition to get the issue on the ballot. I voted against the ammendment in Georgia, but it passed. I guess they don't have it here yet.

I am not gay and was married for 9 1/2 years. I do not support a ban on gay marraige. My thought is - who cares? There should be other issues more important to spend time and money on. Life sucks most of the time and if you can find someone to help get your through it, who cares if it is a man or woman. Most of the time they are unable to get medical insurance through their partner's work because of the laws. Some places you are eligible. Emory University in Atlanta allows for partners to take their partner's benefits.

The argument on the for side said that this creates more out of wedlock births. So what? As long as someone is there to care for the children, that's what is important. They said that a child needs a man and a woman to be raised. Well most of the time the parents are going to get divorced anyway, so they won't have that. They will have a mom with many step in father's and a every other weekend father who they probably won't see that much anyway. Harsh, but true.

Here's the funkytroll recommendation for marraige. It does need to be changed. I don't care if it is a man, woman, or for my fans in West Virginia, your sister. Marraige is not a life long commitment anymore. My grandmother died in January and she and my Grandfather were still together. Most people from that era still view it as such. My parents are divorced, his sister is divorced and that is the generation that has began the change. Looking at people my age, most are divorced and have been married multiple times and some divorced from that as well. Instead of a life long commitment, marriage should be a contract. And a contract can be renegociated. Marriage should be a two year contract with the option to renew. If either party decides that they don't wish to renew it, fine - leave and take what you brougtht with you. Split up the stuff you earned together. It was two years, it won't be that much.

Phantom of the Opera

2005-06-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the Arizona State University Gammage Theater to watch the Phantom of the Opera. This is the third time I have seen the play, and I still enjoy it. My ex-wife and I saw it in Atlanta and on Broadway. Those locations were very good. This was a college amitheater, but still nice. I would like to see it in the Boston opera House or somewhere historical. If you have not seen it and get the chance, definitely do. I had seats in Row 8 yesterday, which was definitely worth it.

Back from Vegas

2005-06-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have slacked off a bit on my postings. From the comments posted (or lack there of), it appears I wasn't missed.

Last Friday I left for Las Vegas. It was not terribly exciting, as I expected. I don't gamble, rarely drink, didn't go to the Vegas shows and didn't pick up women (although I did see a lovely Isreali lady selling manicure products in the Aladdin). The first two nights I stayed at the Renaissance Hotel, which is just off the strip. It was very nice. They had a concierge to direct you to anything needed, the bellman gave a detailed tour of the property en route to the room and it provided free in-room high speed internet access. Since I had a paper to turn in Saturday, I took my laptop and that came in handy. Sunday & Monday, I moved onto the Strip and stayed at the Monte Carlo. It was nice, but the internet was $12 per day. Instead, I unplugged the phone and dialed it up for $1.

While in Vegas, I stumbled onto a car infomercial (both Sunday & Monday). It was for Towbin Dodge and was called The Chopper Show. The show was very funny. The host would have cars drive up, he would introduce the staff (which all were dressed as various characters), give the price and tell them to "hit the gas!". I found yesterday that it is available to view online. If you have 20 minutes and want a good laugh, check it out: http://www.choppercars.com/ChopperTV/choppershow.html.

I also found time to go see Batman begins. Very good. Saturday I drove to Los Angeles and hung out in Hollywood. One day away from a premiere! They were setting up the street in front of the Chinese theater. I asked what was up and the guard said that on Sunday they were having a premiere for Herbie Fully Loaded. They set up the street as a track and the stars would be driving race cars around it. I don't know who all was there, but I do know that Danica Patrick of NASCAR was there, Lindsey Lohan and Michael Keaton from the movie. Maybe next time I will get a premiere!

I turned in my paper that I wrote until almost 2am from Vegas. By the time I returned to work, the instructor had week 2 and week 3 feedback posted. He gave me 14.25 / 15 for that paper. So far I have only missed 1.25 points for the class. Not bad.

Today I turned in my week 4 paper which is due tomorrow. It is a memo based on a simulation. I hate to say it, but I have that memo thing down. In week 5 of ORG/502 I was stumped on the memo, but figured I would just make it look good. Dr. Ferguson liked it, so he saw it again in Week 6. I received a perfect score both times, so the same format was used for the paper this week. Tomorrow I am going to see the play Phantom of the Opera, so I wanted to get the paper out of the way. I am setting up threads for week 5's team assignements and going to start looking into the assigment for that. It appears that the assignment will be 2 letters and 1 memo. I just have that one and an individual paper for week 6 based upon the week 5 assignment. I have to say things are going well so far.

On a work related note, I submitted a suggestion to the director (my bosses boss). International business is becoming an increasingly important facet of business. Many countries have their own specific business customs such as Japanese acceptance rituals of business cards, Koreans regularly hold negociations in social settings and in the Middle East, meetings with foreigners may not even be set up until the foreign business person arrives - and they may find that others have the same time slot. I felt that if we expect MBA students to be able to lead a business, it is important for them to be aware of these customs. Familiarity with these will show that we value their business and have taken the time and respect to learn their customs. That will give a good impression of the person, company and the US. If an international business has limited contact with American businesses, they may have preset impressions of the US and the person they deal with will be representing the organization and the country. Showing respect to their customs will improve their impression of America. He reviewed my submission and said that in fact, that did have merit and he would address it with academic affairs about a potential addition. I hope that give a positive impression of me and my critical thinking skills.

World Championship on Hold

2005-06-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since my last post - last weekend (Sunday) I saw Mr & Mrs Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. It was a pretty good film. Or maybe that it was actually an action film and for once I didn't have to see a chick flick. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is out, so I was fortunate. Following the movie I stopped by Sports Authority and purchased a yellow Cheetah disc golf, well, uh disc. I went to Mesquite Grove Recreational Park, which is one of three disc golf courses in the area. The other two spoke of grass and lakes. This was a damn hole! It dirt nad had scrubby little tumbleweed like dry yellow grass (which blended nicely with the disc), several mesquite trees (which are quite pokey) and the ground was filled with rodent and snake holes. I kept thinking I would run into snakes. I only saw like 10 rabbits and a chipmunk. No snakes.

My ability sucked as much as the course. The disc was heavy I though. It claimed 300' - 600' and very straight. Each hold was a par three and about 360', so I thought I had it good. Each toss went about 50' and broke hard left into a tree. Under each tree was a swarm of gnats. I had to hold my breath going in. Needless to say, I was hitting a 6 on each of the first 5 holes. I tossed it in a tree once and had to climb in for it. I stepped on a sharp stick that pierced my shoe and went into my foot drawing blood. I called it quits after hole 6. Dirty, bloody, covered in sweat and scratches, I finished with a 36 on the 6 holes. Oh no, I suck again! My mechanics may be a bit off. I think it will take longer than I thought.

It has been a decent week at work. We are working on the additional specialties contest. Our team is leading with 44 as compared to 21,20 and 17 respectively for the other three teams. My boss, of course, talked smack. The director sent out an email to everyone saying we were doing well and from his understanding I could compete or defeat a superteam myself. I replied back that I would have to step it up because I only had 19 so far. When you consider one of our superteams has 12 people on it, not only am I doing the same as a team of 12, I have 50% of our total. That's the kind of stuff that will get me noticed.

LAW/529 is going okay I guess. I only have week one feedback. He mentioned week 2 would be coming out this week. Week 3 is technically over Monday. I do have a big paper due Saturday and that could be a challenge. I looked at it today to see what it is. It looks like something I don't want to do. Business entity selection paper, 1700 words. It can be one of four listed hypothetical situations or I can make up one business - to - business entity. There are four main subjects that I have to address. It is not that big of deal if I get started. I can write and I can also bullshit with best of them. Trouble is getting started. Once I get the idea and my hands around the topic, I can go like the wind. The fun part is that it is due Saturday night, midnight. I am leaving at noon tomorrow for Las Vegas, which I am not looking forward to, and I will be back on the wee hours of Wednesday.

In Atlanta news, I saw that my favorite DJ Ryan Cameron is moving back to V-103. That dude is great. I hung out with him in Jamaica in 2001 and had a good time. I have been a fan of his since the first night I rolled into Atlanta. That was the first Atlanta radio station the dial stopped on when I hit seek as we entered town on moving day. He was playing his birthday song. He has a movie in the works. I wrote him and said I wish he were on internet or satellite radio so that I could hear him. Introduce these people to some good stuff out in Phoenix!

I need to get on this paper at least a little tonight. Like my buddy Jerry Starlin told me, like a seat cushion under Shaker, I'm about to split!

Professional Disk Golf Association

2005-06-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

I was speaking to one of my students today and making conversation while awaiting the computer to perform its requested task. I asked what her plans were for the weekend. I don't think she had any plans, but mentioned her husband was playing disc golf this weekend. What?, I questioned. She said disc golf - frisbee golf. I had one time played frisbee golf. At Canter's Cave near Jackson, OH the day after Tau Kappa Epsilon's homecoming. One of our earlier fraters, Harold Rigger, asked if I wanted to play. There were four of us. Harold, myself and I am not sure the other two. I am thinking Jon Evers was one. At the Greek games of Rio, we continually were the frisbee winners. I always fancied myself good with the frisbee. I kind of grew up on it. My uncle Dave used to play all of the time in my grandparent's side yard. Uncle Terry, Uncle Jim and Dad (plus myself) used to toss it each weekend. The chance to be introduced to something new was cool. I don't think I did so well, but it was fun and I have thought about the weekend several times thinking it was good. Now this with my student.

Wendy told me about it. Her husband would be playing in a tournament this weekend. Saturday and Sunday. I believe it is in Lansing, MI. She said it is a growing sport. There are professional players and some of the best can make $25,000 - $30,o00 playing frisbee golf! She told me to check out http://www.pdga.com. You bet that is the first thing I did when I got home. I didn't see any people pulling down big G's, but still - the rating would drive me. Instantly I was drawn in. I am reading up as much as I can on this. Membership fees, equipment, courses and upcoming schedules. There is one in Chandler. Now I am interested. Visions of being the world's next or perhaps first big frisbee, excuse me.. disk golf champion. I was, of course, the sixth grade and University of Rio Grande doubles badmitton champ and the runner up in collegiate singles play. Now I need to knock my school work out quickly this weekend so that I can check into disk golf and beginning my rise to the top!

Another Quiet Weekend

2005-06-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

I hate to say it, but so far LAW/529 isn't so bad. Angelo and I are in the same group, which is cool. Instead of individual discussion questions, we answer them as a team. They still only need to be 100 - 150 questions. That is much better as compared to ORG/502. I turned in my first paper yesterday which was a dispute summary. I did it on APCO & Kevin Dean of Centex Rodgers in the Trident Medical Center project I worked on. I am glad I am out of that!

This weekend I worked on some postings for class, watched my Area 51 Invasion fantasy baseball struggle some more and worked on my web pages. I updated http://www.geocities.com/2004A and http://www.geocities.com/cdflinsider. I watched some NCAA women's softball too. University of Texas had a cute pitcher Cat Osterman. I checked her out - quite the impressive resume. Gold medal in the Olympics in 2004, 13 career no-hitters, she's a junior and has been an All-American each year, plus she is 6'2. I had to update my list of favorite ladies on http://www.geocities.com/funkytroll/favorites

First Day of LAW/529

2005-05-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

I signed into class this morning. So far only one person, Angelo Mogavero, is a holdout from my previous classes. Everyone else is new to me and has experience in the military or a government office and has some knowledge of business law. I didn't take law in my undergraduate, so this will all be new to me. I will have to work hard to do well.

I knew there would be a lot of reading in this class. I read Ray November's syllabus today:
"You will find this to be an informative and challenging course. After you review the syllabus and the curriculum you will no doubt be concerned about the extent of reading and writing that you are required to do each week. That will be a correct observation...". GULP! It's one thing to think it will be a lot of work, but when it is confirmed in writing, you are in trouble!

The classwork is light tonight. Everyone is still checking in. I posted my bio, replied to everyone's so far and responded to the instructor's first question. If I could maybe post something today, that would count as participation. I should try to hit it hard at first. If I build a good base, that will inspire me down the stretch.

I am watching the Orioles & Red Sox now instead of doing work. I see the Royals named Buddy Bell manager today. I met Buddy once. Nice guy. Met his Dad too. I hope he does well with them.

50% MBA Grads found jobs in 2005

2005-05-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

ABC News ran an Associated Press story on Friday about the latest trends for MBA graduate students. The study showed that 50% of the 5829 students from 129 business schools received job offers by mid March. (Pope, 2005) The 50% level is an increase over 42% reported last year, and the highest since the 64% reported in 2001.

Salary expectations were higher this year as well. This year students are expecting $84,318 compared to last year's $76,147.

Considering that in 2002, NBC News was reporting that the job market was slipping in both demand and salary (Toosya, 2002). The salary expectations in 2002 fell from 2001. The low-end salary for an MBA graduate with a technical undergraduate degree decreased $49,000 from $62,000. The high-end salary stayed about the same, at $79,000 as compared to 2001's $80,000 . For MBA graduates with a nontechnical undergraduate degree, the low-end salary decreased to $45,000 from $49,000. High-end 2002 salaries stayed the same at $74,000.

The current trend is a welcome sight. I hope that it continues until well after I complete my degree.

Reference:
Pope, Justin (May 27, 2005), "50 Percent of MBA Grads Found Jobs in 2005", ABC News via Associated Press, retrieved May 29, 2005 from http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=796038.

Toosya, Becky (June 3, 2002), "MBA grads face a tough job market", South Florida Business Journal, retrieved May 29, 2005 from http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3072526.

ORG/502 Grade Received

2005-05-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sweet! I just checked the website to see if my grade posted. I didn't receive and email from Dr. Ferguson and a grade wasn't posted yesterday, but I decided to check again this morning. I see that it has posted as an A!! Two classes and still a 4.0! I had to do a lot of work for that one and I am very happy with it!

The next class is LAW/529 and I see I have been assigned Raymond November. I checked him out on that website a student sent me before where you can see reviews of the instructors. He only had 1 review, but it was an A. It said he was a lawyer and very knowledgeable. It did warn that that class had the most reading of any so far. I was thinking of seeing if I could buy the actual book instead of the online book. It appears we are going to be using the 2004 version. I found a 1985 version online for $12. I found a used copy of the ORG/502 book for $3. I was thinking of getting that. Maybe having a text book for each class wouldln't be so bad.

I am sticking it out with MBA version 19. I talked to my Academic Counselor Friday, and she deflated my new plan. I was thinking I could stick it out with MBA version 19 and take MBA/500 while the LAW/529 class was finishing up. If I did well in that class, I would upgrade. Kind of a safety net. She said no. You have to chose one or the other.

I have began wondering about the future. I know that it may be a hard sell to put UoP MBA's program on some employers. I have been doing readings and they say that unless you are in a top 20 MBA program, the rankings below that may not matter so much. Of course I don't work for Wharton or Kellogg, plus I don't live there. Although Philadelphia might be nice - I have never been there. So now I am on a quest to stand out. How can I take my UoP degree and be comparable to top students at other schools? I don't know if it is possible, but I will try.

My plans are that I need contacts. Maybe I could find people in those programs and strike up conversations. I saw a guy on Ebay selling 12 Wharton MBA books for $50. I would like to have those. If I could get the text from those college's programs, maybe that could help. I need to strive to get the best grades possible at UoP. I need to do internships with international companies. I need to learn one or two languages (preferrably out of Spanish, Chine, Japanese or Hindi). I need to become an expert in a field. If I can create a name for myself, that would increase attention and people may be interested in hiring me. They quickest way to become an expert, from readings I have done recently, is to publish articles in magazines.

If anyone has suggestions or help me become more valuable, I would love to hear them.

UoP Problem based learning

2005-05-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

As you now know, I not only work for the University of Phoenix as an academic counselor, but I am an MBA student as well. I am not sure what your opinion or impression is of UoP. I am doing it through the online portion, although I have the option of ground campuses. So far, I have only completed two classes and do have a 4.0 GPA. It is interesting and more difficult than I thought.

I am unsure what I will do with my degree after I obtain it. I was thinking of economics. Currently my degree is MBA/Global Management. The University is going to roll out a new learning model next month. Instead of the team learning model that we have been operating on, we are going to start a new program that is problem based learning. They claim that no other insitituation in the country offers a program similar to it. It will present students with a vague business problem that they must identify and solve. There will be one problem that runs weeks 1 - 3 of the class, then a new one weeks 4- 6. After that, it is on to a new class. The claim is that it will be similar to a medical intern program. Such as they are gathered around a surgery and have to look at it, identify the problem and how to solve it. The problems will be vaguely presented by the instructor and it is up to the student to identify it and come up with the solutions. Those suggestions must then be defended. It makes sense. When you come to work, you do not have a folder labeled problem. You see things, you hear things and from that you determine the problem and how to solve it. The Dean said today that from meetings with various high level employers across the country, they say the MBA program is on a decline. Their findings are that MBA students are good at opening a book, reading problem number 3, chapter 5 and solving it. The problem is that when they are in the real world, they do not recognize problem 3 chapter 5 when they see it in action. This new program is designed to do just that.

I am thinking I should switch programs. The two classes that I have had will be lost because it is a completely different learning model, so there is no equivilents. I do like the idea that it is different and hopefully valueable in the future. My readings indicate that in this country, in 2006 the demand for skilled students will outgrow the supply. In 2011 this trend will further increase as the first of our "baby boomers" will begin reading retirement age. My generation makes up a smaller amount of population than those, so the demand should be high.

I am nervous in changing. Partially because I am doing well now, and this is a new environment for me. Of course the first two classes were a new environment for me too. I think fear of the unknown is the biggest concern. If I upgrade my program and it doesn't work out, I can not go back because the current version will be retired as of May 31. The school pays for all of my education, so I won't have to worry about money lost on the classes.

What recommendations would you have? Go for the unknown or stick with the status quo? Lewin's Model of Change management indicates I need to unfreeze my behavior, but I have quickly become rooted in a status quo.

Hayashi Group

2005-05-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Click to join hayashi

American Idol / Join my Group

2005-05-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the final day of ORG/502. I have posted a few times, but just sitting around now ready for the one week break. As I type I am watching the finale of American Idol. I don't really care who wins. Both are okay. I would love to see Bo come out and sing "Casey Jones" by Greatful Dead. You know - drivin' that train, high on cocaine. Or he could do Eric Clapton's "Cocaine".

I have started a news group that you can subscribe to. I think the posts of this blog will go there too. If you want to join, send an email to hayashi-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Just a rambling thought - if anyone knows where to find a Butterbean bobble head doll, let me know. I would like to get some, hand them out at the CDFL draft as the Chris "Shaker" Komandt bobblehead

ORG/502 and Online Music

2005-05-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I completed my final paper for ORG/502, just prior to midnight my time. I hope that it was satisfactory. I think I did a reasonably good job on it. Again, it looked good. I think I answered the questions well, although I may have shorted some discussions on Lewins Theory of Change Management, Koppler's Eight levels of organizational change and organizational development. I just need to make sure I keep up participation tonight and tomorrow, then wait for the weekend and my final grade. I am hoping for 97 or higher this week so that will give me an A for the class. If I wouldn't have goofed off in my participation in week 4, I wouldn't have to hope for so much.

I was reading an article about online music and people still downloading music for free. Now it appears that it may go to court again. I pay the $15 per month to go to Napster, but have not burned a CD in a few years. I think to do that you incurr the 99 cent per song change in addition to the $15 per month. I don't have an IPod to put music one. Here is my take on downloading music, and this comes from working in the music department of Barnes & Noble for over three years. I used to download music for free from the old Napster and Morpheus. For me, it was mostly to help my job. Do you know how difficult it is to work in a store and people continually ask you how good something is? It wouldn't be so bad if it were one type of music. Instead, working at Barnes & Noble I would get all kinds. Someone would ask about the new Britney Spears album, another Ludacris, the next David Sanborn, some new rendition of a Mozart piece, the last Iz CD, Dixie Chicks, Yanni or someone from Senegal. The system we had at the time, you could only listen to what was on sale. You could hear the entire album, and believe me, people loved to sit and waste and entire day listening to CDs they would never buy. Now they have Red Dot which allows you to search or scan any CD in the warehouse system and listen to 30 second clips of songs. You know what? People still spend hours in the store listening to songs 30 seconds at a time. GO HOME PEOPLE! GET A LIFE! But I digress... Point is that if I had customers continually asking me about the latest Rueben Gonzales CD, I would download a song or two so that I could give them an opinion. CDs are expensive and no one wanted to purchase an $18 CD they didn't know anything about and couldn't listen to. If downloading music has taught us anything, it is the actual cost of the materials is not expensive. You can buy the slim jewel cases and CDs for less than $1 per disk now. Online distribution would be a good way for artists to improve their take. If you cut out marketing and distribution, that leaves more for the artist and record companies. When I was downloading songs, it was on dial up and each song could take 40 minutes each. You must really want a song to spend 40 minutes on it. If the CD has four or five good songs on it, I would just buy the CD. It is less hassle to purchase it than wait for three hours to get the songs I wanted. So here is the key to the music industry. You want to increase sales and slow downloading? Stop putting out crap! No one wants to even go to Target and pay $12 for a CD that has one or two songs they like on it. Spend some time in research and development. Get some better song writing. Find out what people like. If you make an entire CD of songs people want to hear instead of some creative, artsy fartsy BS, people will buy it. I haven't purchased a CD in about a month and that was Ibrahim Ferrer's latest. Not because I knew anything about it or thought it might be good, but I had all of his other CDs and he will be dead soon, so I thought I should have the entire collection. It was okay, but you know what - it sounded like all of the others. Before that I bought Ludacris' Red Light District. I had heard two songs I like, but again I had the whole collection, including the limited self distributed Incongnegro CD. I have to support Chris. I lived in Atlanta for 12 years, used to listen to his radio station show and used to have lunch every Friday with him. Okay, he only noticed me a couple times and said what's up a few, but I was there. Not really for him because I thought why get all excited about some local DJ? It was another local DJ I was excited about. He and his partner Poon Daddy used to do a weekly remote publicity stint at various local McDonalds. Now, I love McDonalds, but I also loved the hot Korean girl that was their DJ. DJ K-Sly - now I think she is in Las Vegas or something. She was fine and that is why I used to hang out each Friday at McDonalds with Ludacris. I do like his latest song "Number one spot". The line scheme, scheme, plot, plot I'm coming for the number one spot just screams Hayashi Silver Dragons. Not that I scheme or plot anymore... Plus it has the Austin Powers theme running through it. Austin is one of my favorite movies - any of the three.

Week 5 Feedback

2005-05-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

I received my feedback first thing this morning. Ted liked my paper from last week. He said that it showed a high amount of energy went into it. I have to admit, it did look good. He gave me 40/40 for the DQ and 37/40 for participation stating I contributed 5/7 days this week. For the week I received a 98% and it brought my class total to 94.5% going into the final week. I have already posted my one discussion question and I have participated Thursday and today enough to earn credit. If I can post something tomorrow, I will try to do it the rest of the week. That will be 6/7, if not 7/7 days. I do have my individual paper due Monday, which I should work on tomorrow. A strong finish this week is all I need. I figure if I get 97% or higher this week, that will put me at just over 95% for the class. That will be another A. I am feeling pretty good. This class was very time consuming and it has taken a lot of work. If I can come away with an A in this class, that will be impressive. At least for myself it will be.

Today was the Preakness horse race. I like horses. I was wanting Giacomo to win since he won the Kentucky Derby, but he finished 3rd. It was an exciting race and won by Afleet Alex. Interesting thing is that he was the want I wanted to win the Kentucky Derby. He didn't, so I changed to Derby winner Giacomo. Now he wins. He almost took a spill today, but pulled it out. I would love to see the Derby live next year. I guess could go to the horse park here in town.

Today it was 107 degrees. Tomorrow it is supposed to hit 111. After 7:30, we went to the swimming pool here in the complex. I don't know how to swim, so I just walk around like Godzilla. I try to figure out swimming, but just can't do it. I don't like water in any of the holes in my head. I am cool with looking like Godzilla. The hot tub was nice afterwards!

I have been working on my fantasyfootball web page today too. It is http://www.geocities.com/funkytroll/2004A.html. Right now the new page I am doing has a different name, bt Iwill rename the old one and then move the new one into its place by renaming it the same as the old. That way I don't have to change all of the links!!

Happy Friday!

2005-05-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend is finally here! I did my posting for my one discussion question this week already and yesterday I posted at least one article to work toward my participation. I will be awaiting my feedback hopefully tomorrow.

Yesterday at work was pretty good. Our typical every other Thursday mini meeting which starts at 2 and takes me until time to go home. Yesterday was no different except that afterwards James (my boss) asked that Stefanie, Lou, Kerrianne and myself stay behind. He was bringing up the idea of a contest - checking student's attendance for each start date. He picked us because he said of the team that we four, he felt, wanted to advance in the company and do other things. That is good that he is taking notice. One of my Enrollment guys, Jay Trammell was telling James what a good job I was doing and Jay's boss Troy thanked me for my help. In this contest, I am responsible for my team, Elicia's and Magda's team and their posting numbers. Elicia sometimes gets behind and Magda has been out sick for at least 3 weeks, so her team is falling apart. He was thinking of switching a team with me because I just started in December. I was thinking that if I ended up winning the contest, it would look even better since I am new and had two team that could be weak as compared to others. The game is on beginning Tuesday.

We also announced that we would do a contest against the other Northwest teams. We are looking at pushing additional areas of specialties with students. It will only work for some students - if they are matriculated and have at least 15 - 18 credits needed for electives, interdisciplinary, or liberal arts. Then offering a second area of study would be beneficial. It will not take additional time or money, the degree would read something like Bachelor of Science in Marketing with an emphasis in Finance, and if someone is corporate reimbursed, a company would rather bay for accounting than human nutrition. I think I have already got one candidate.

Another contest starting today is between us AC's at work. I was telling Jeremy that I needed to work out and lose weight. He said let's do it and we could have a contest. We have 7 people entered so far, $20 entrance fee. We start tomorrow and go to June 30. The one with the most weight lost will win the money. I think yesterday I was 269.7 lbs. I would ideally like to be 225. Long way to go!

Ladybug

2005-05-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

This evening I tried to have another salad. It actually was pretty good - until I looked down and saw a ladybug crawling around in it. I don't know is she came in the bag of salad or what. The doors and windows were closed and I didn't see anything flying around, but there it was anyway. If it did come from the salad, that would be weird too. I was sealed and had been in the fridge for a week. I released the bug outside and dumped the salad. Afterwards I went to for dinner. I went to a Teppan Japanese restaurant on Chandler Road. I have been there before. It's just okay. I think there must be better ones, but it will do. Kind of expensive though. I already cheated at lunch. At work we went out for three people's birthdays. They were ones from April. We went to Makayo's in Tempe. It is a Mexican restaurant that was very good. I had a combination platter that had a tostada, taco and enchilada on it. Not salad, but very good!

In the evening, after dinner, I got in the pool. I can't swim, so I just walk around like Godzilla. It was a little cool still in the water. The hottub was nice though.

I received an email from my ORG/502 instructor that there are no discussion questions for week 6. Instead we are to find one thing from the book that we have put to use in our business. I will have to look through it - I haven't read much of the book lately, but then again I haven't really put too much of it to use on my job. I could maybe talk about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I don't use that at work, but I was on some online dating website recently and they used it as a factor. I am INTP if I remember correctly. I did some posting today about the Ford CEO stating he would not take a salary until his company's profits improved. I also commented on a posting about phones with GPS systems and one on purchaseing of wine via the internet.
Hoepfully my grade will be better this week!

Tired Evening

2005-05-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

Man, I was up until after 12 last night working on my paper. I posted it at 11:54 PST. It is really supposed to be up by midnight EST, but we will see what happens. I don't know if it sucked or not. What will suck is that I have one more next week, which is kind of based off of this one. I should have my feedback by Saturday. If it is good, then I can proceed to work on my paper which is due Monday night. If it sucks, I will have to go back to the drawing board. I worked on participation posts today. I hope that I get it up this week because I definitely slacked last weekend.

I had a salad for lunch again. Go figure. Dinner time came around and instead of the salad, we went out. We tried Shabu Fondu on Chandler Boulevard. I wasn't really impressed. That was the first fondu for me. We started with an appetizer of the beer/garlic/spinach/artichoke/cheese dip. It had apples, cauliflower and broccoli to dip in it, plus bread chunks. I was not impressed. Instead of the meal, we went with the dessert of chocolate fondu. To dip it had strawberries, banana, pineapple, marshmallow, graham cracker and nasty old marrachino cherries. I left the cherries. The chocolate was good. Definitely might try that again. Maybe after Phantom of the Opera June 25 I will come back for a martini and chocolate fondu. Keep that cheese stuff. I would have actually preferred the salad!

We picked up Golden Girls season 2 on DVD today at Best Buy. Probably break that out Thursday. Tomorrow is the American Idol results show. I missed it tonight.

Area 51 pulled off a good night of baseball on Sunday and we took the game 9-1 over the second place team. So far the Hackers, the number 1 team, are beating me 6-1. I put Kaz Matsui on the bench today in favor of Pedro Felix playing in Colorado. Guess who hit a homerun? Matsui. That always happens to me. I over manage my fantasy teams.

It is a little after 9 and I am ready for bed. Actually I have been ready for bed since 8! Too late of a night yesterday. I am thinking I should call Dad or Granddad tomorrow. I did speak to Granddad most recently. Maybe I will call Dad tomorrow before I leave work. See what's up with him.

I really need to get to work!

2005-05-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

It is 5:30 Pacific Time and I am still goofing around. I have to get my Week 5 ORG/502 assignment turned in by 9:00 - and I have no idea what I am doing. I have to read some articles I printed off and come up with something. I am good at B.S.ing stories - check out my Hayashi Silver Dragons web page or my Troll story on my personal website (www.geocities.com/funkytroll). Writing with references - now that's the problem!

I got off work at 3 and what did I do after work? I went back to Kai nail salon! That girl was there again, but she was with someone else. She said Lucy would help me. Lucy was an older lady and seemed very nice. She talked to me and asked lots of questions - am I married, where my family was, where I loved, what I did, etc. As it turns out, she is the mother of that beautiful lady. So, I returned the favor and asked about her. She said her daughter goes to school too. She said she goes to school, gets off at 1 and comes in to work there. I said oh she works here too? She pointed to the girl and said yes, that's her. So basically I know she is 23, goes to Arizona State and majors in Chemistry. She is originally from Vietnam and moved here in 1992. They family moved around from Savannah, GA to South Carolina, to California, but likes it here. After she was nearly finished, the daughter sat down and decided to finish up with me. She buffed my nails so hard I thought she was going to start a damn fire! She told me she works like 7 days a week, but soon she will get either Thursday or Friday off. I asked what she likes to do when she is off. She said she didn't know because she never is. She does like electronic gadgets. She likes to shop. She said she doesn't buy expensive things, but she likes to buy things a lot. Then she told me she was easy to sell to and she went to Best Buy at Super Bowl time for a television big enough for the family to watch the game on. She was thinking 42" TV, but came away with a 52". She has her own condo. She mentioned she should bring a guy with her when she shops so that she won't be talked into it so much. Two days and two mentions of needing a guy.... Actually it sounds like, besides her name, I learned quite a bit. She also said I should come back every two weeks for manicure and once a month for pedicure. I will be sure to come on weekdays, not Thursday or Friday after 1 pm.

I had my salad for lunch. Pretty hungry, but guess what? It is almost time for another salad! Yippee yeah! I can hardly wait. I need to get to work on my school paper! UGH! I also need to update my personal website and the Silver Dragon page. It used to look good, but on this computer the background doesn't show and it is white and unaligned. I can't have that. But first things first... homework!

Last Day Before Diet

2005-05-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

I took the afternoon off from school work. I know I should be working on the simulation and individual paper for my Week 5 ORG/502 assignment, but like I said, it is easy to get distracted. I started the day off by getting a pedicure. All of my friends are women and they have introduced me. This time I went to Kai Nails & Aesthetic. It is just across the street from my apartment. It was a little more expensive than other places I have been. $22 for the pedicure. Typically you can get a manicure and pedicure for $25. The lady that that did my feet was incredible. She was absolutely beautiful and was wearing a tiny white skirt and little blouse. MMM. Plus she was very sweet too. I will be going back soon. I didn't get her name.

I need to get in shape and lose weight. The fun starts tomorrow with a salad diet. Lunch and dinner nothing but salad for a week. Yum - I can hardly wait! So for lunch after the pedicure, I went to Applebees. I saw a commercial yesterday for their new Sirloin topped with mushrooms, shrimp and parmaign cheese. A side of steamed vegetables and water with lemon. Not too bad. Then I went to Coldstone Creamery for one last hurray. Coffee Lover Mojo or something like that. Afterwards I picked up all of salad stuff at Fry's . It should be an interesting week with the salads.

I think I will do a little sports watching before getting back to school work. I am playing fantasy baseball again this season and as of now my Area 51 Invasion is in 8th out of 12th place. Today is the final day for my matchup against the second place Glory Dogs. Going into this morning I was leading 7-1. Hopefully a big day on offense for the boys, a win by John Patterson of the Nationals and a couple of saves will ice the game for me. That will move me up in the standings.

Introduction

2005-05-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is my first entry, so welcome! I am attending the University of Phoenix and working toward an MBA/Global Management degree. I have never been that motivated of a student before this experience. I attended Yellow Springs High School in Yellow Springs, OH and never really applied myself with regards to studies or homework. I finished up with a 2.75 GPA. In college I attended the University of Rio Grande, in Rio Grande, OH. Again, I did enough to get by and finished up with a 2.76 GPA. After that final quarter, I decided never to go back to school.

Now it is 2005 and I have changed my mind. I started working for the University of Phoenix in November, so I thought I should go to school as well. I started February 28, 2005 in COM/525. It is much more work than many people think - motivating and working with your team, a ton of reading and a lot of writing. With UoP, you take one class and a time and in the Master's program they are six weeks in length. Think of it as a summer school class - you take an entire semester of work and break it down into six weeks. If you think online is easy, it is anything but. You have to be self-motivated. If you are in a traditional college and chose to drop out, you have to pack up your stuff and everyone sees you moving out. It takes more effort. If you want to drop out of class here, you just have to not log on. It is easy to get distracted with TV, movies, friends, etc. When you should be focusing on your schoolwork. Those that successfully complete the program have to show that they are capable of motivating themselves, getting along with others, possess excellent time management skills and will come away with great writing skills.

So anyway, I spent six weeks in COM/525 Managerial Communications. The class lures you in the first week. A few articles to read, daily postings and discussions, but not too bad. I thought this is easy. Week 2 jumps in with both feet. Lots of reading, writing, team work and many people like to get a head start on the weeks to come. I managed to finish the class with an A. Imagine that? First time ever that I have been in school and ended a "quarter" with a 4.0! That encouraged me and I was looking forward to the next class, which is ORG/502. I have Dr. Theodore Ferguson this time around. He is a UoP ground campus professor in Detroit. He seems like a nice guy, although the requirements for this class were much more than I expected. The format of the discussion questions he requires, the amount of postings and readings were much higher than COM/525. I was a little nervous about the grading scale, as I always am until I receive the first grade. With the requirements, I figured it broke down to close to 4000 words per week. He said if you meet only this, you will receive a C. I was nervous and when I finished week 1 with an A-, I was pleased. Week 2 was our first team assignment as well. My team is very motivated and prepared. We worked ahead of time and accomplished all of the goals on schedule. No bickering, no slackers in this group. Week 2 saw me finish with a 98 for the week. Week 3 took me down to a 96 for the class. I am doing much better than expected. This past week I slacked in my participation and only earned 85 for the week. Going into this Week 5, I have a 93 average. I would love to pull it up above the 95 to earn an A. The only thing standing in my way is two more individual papers & simulations, plus the discussion questions and postings. I did my discussion questions yesterday, posted enough to satisfy a participation level for the day. This paper is due tomorrow night at 9pm. I will have to work on it later today. I did the simulation and was kind of lost. I will have to focus more and knock it out. Then I can spend the rest of the week focusing on participation. I need to commit to hitting the books hard for just two weeks. I then have the one week off at Memorial Day, which will bring a much needed trip!