Month of January, 2005

Quote of the Day

"A study of Harvard graduates with MBA degrees revealed that 3% of them
accomplished more than the other 97% combined. The only differentiating
characteristic was that the 3% left Harvard with written goals."

- quote via a book Mom is reading

Comments

Photoblogs

Some links for Brian to photoblogs I enjoy:

PhotoMatt *Matt was the first person I'd met in person with a photoblog
FerociousCheese *Nick in Chicago is my favorite
greyscalegorilla *Ironically another Nick in Chicago...linked by Nick from FerociousCheese
whateverland

Comments

Tenerife

Mia is vacationing in Tenerife, Spain. She sent this picture. Doesn't it look beautiful? It was exactly what I needed after we had such a rainy and cold day in Texas today.

Comments

Spencer Tunick, artist

Spencer Tunick

I watched a documentary on photographer, Spencer Tunick. He photographs naked people. Spencer sees his work as bringing the body into an urban setting. Something natural in an unnatural environment.

The most moving part of his work, I think, is the effect posing naked has on his subjects. While it wasn't clear from the docuemntary if Spencer understands the profound effect it has on people, I think their experience is far more important than the photographs themselves. It's wonderful that there is a record of their moment. Beautiful.

Science Baby

AB's Science Baby sticker. Want one? Go donate towards her science baby!

Comments

Postmodern Pet Feeder

I think Tiger needs this new feeder from PostmodernPets.com. It's totally gorgeous, isn't it?

Thanks, Karen, for the link from MightyGoods.

Comments

San Antonio

I was in San Antonio for the day yesterday. I had a weird moment of deja vu when we stopped in a shopping center to get a Starbucks. I knew I had been there before. With a little time, the memory came back. I was in San Antonio with Brian for a wedding or bachelor party or something related to visiting his friends when I was a sophomore (junior?) in college. We had car trouble and stopped in that exact same shopping center to deal with the car. I wish I remember more about the trip instead of the small shards of memories. I remember almost running out of gas in the middle of nowhere Texas since there were long stretches of empty space. When we did finally stop, I was afraid of a repeat of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I remember we stayed in his friends' apartment and slept on the sleeper couch. Brian was very self-conscious about showing affection towards me in front of his friends. I remember driving to a bar in a minivan packed with people; though that memory might be a part of some other night. I really wish I could bring those memories back far, far more clearly.

I was in San Antonio for a meeting with a customer. It went quite well and I met some very nice people. It was encouraging to hear they're pleased with us. While watching a coworker speak, I was reminded of the importance of looking people in the eyes when speaking to them. I'm glad I learned how to do that a long time ago. On the plane home, I met a very nice salesman from Missouri, William. I especially like that he goes by William instead of Bill. He wore suspenders and I liked that a lot too.

An Author I Like

Haruki Murakami - www.harukimurakami.com
I don't usually like music on websites, but I was pleasantly surprised with the sound.

Thanks, Brokentype, for the link.

And everything

I suppose I should write something about my daily life though I promise it's not very interesting. Basically, I'm consumed with work right now. I'm at work or thinking about work or dreaming about work. Yes, I actually wake up from my dreams with a list of things to do at work. Yeah, my subconscious keeps me in check. Pretty cool, huh?

Work is consuming me, because I was given some new responsibilities and I really, really want to be successful. In addition to the current responsibilities, it makes me really busy. I kinda wish I wasn't in school right now so that I could focus solely on work, but I shouldn't wish that way. School will be over before I know it and then I'll be wanting to go back. (Ha, yeah right.) With a lot of hard work, I'll get through the next few weeks or months of transition and the load will let up. In the end, it will be worth it. Plus, I can always pick my social life back up in a couple months. So you'll understand if I'm kinda reclusive right now, right?

I'm spending the day in San Antonio tomorrow for work. Fly out at 7am and fly back at 7pm (or something like that...I didn't make the reservations). I didn't want to spend the night in San Antonio since the trip really didn't require it. But if I had been smart, I would be staying the night so I can see Phil. Silly me.

Guys at school tonight were talking about the graduation party. It sounds like some of us are going to charter a bus to Shreveport for a weekend to celebrate our graduation. There's also going to be a fancy-smancy dinner. We had a good laugh about bringing "significant others" to the dinner since everyone knows I'm single. It's a good thing I never feel left out since I like all of their significant others and they like me. I'm quite excited about the Shreveport trip. Not because I gamble, but because it'll probably be the last time we're all together for a very, very long time. Makes me a little sad, yet I know these friends will last a lifetime.

You know, I'm really, really lucky. I have so many good things in my life right now. I've got a lot of work and some big decisions ahead of me, but none of it weighs me down. I know I can handle all of it and feel blessed to have the opportunity. I feel so strong and confident in myself. This is a really good place for me and I feel very lucky to be here.

Comments

Quote of the Day

"The bird is barking. Just when you thought three dogs was enough!"

- Kristen about Shadow, the parrot

Home Again

Well, I'm back home, but not yet fully recovered. It's Saturday night and I'm at home. Listening to dance music and eating leftover Chinese food. It's only the billionth time I've eaten Asian food in the past week. If you are what you eat, this week I'm Asian and I love it! I'm so spoiled...especially by all the good food in Scottsdale.

My trip was really, really good. The weather in Arizona is perfect this time of year. (Yes, I totally want to live there.) Work was busy. The bosses had good things to say. Meetings went well and it was tons of fun socializing in the evenings. A bunch of coworkers from the UK were in town and are great company. It was very good to get to hang out with Tomas again.

Jefe surprised me tonight by deciding to come visit. Yep, all the way from Austin. We were chatting online and neither of us had much of anything going on tonight so we decided to hang out together. It all started as teasing, but then became real when he decided to visit family (in the Big D) tomorrow. He should be here in the next 30 minutes. How fabulous is it to have a friend drive 3 hours to see you? Makes me feel very special!

Comments

Bubbles

This is how I spent my Friday night a couple weeks ago. I love my new bathtub! I figured out that with only a small amount of bubble bath and running the jacuzzi jets, you can create a whole lot of bubbles!

Comments

Scottsdale, AZ

I'm in Scottsdale for meetings this week. The weather here is perfect. I could do this year round, I think. I wasn't really feeling like coming today, but now that I'm here, I'm enjoying myself. Hopefully the meetings will go well and I'll continue to enjoy my time here. I'm looking forward to soaking up some sun while I'm here, too. Hopefully, I can fit that in.

Larry & Annita's Wedding

Last night I had the distinct pleasure of witnessing Larry and Annita's marriage. It was a beautiful and heartfelt evening. I'm so happy for these two!

The beautiful couple.

Roger, Seth, and Ruaraidh looking extremely sharp for the occasion.

Leia and myself.

The most unexpected part of the wedding was running into Dawn, a woman that I had attended Bible school with in 1994-1995 in Estes Park, Colorado. It was a complete surprise since I haven't done very well with keeping up with people from that time. Dawn is married to the singles pastor at Larry and Annita's church and performed last night's ceremony. It was tons of fun to catch up with Dawn and hear that she's doing so well. The world is truly a small, small place.

Comments

Fortune Cookie

"Be prepared for the truth."

Alright, lay it on me.

Comments

14

I just calculated that I have only 14 more weeks of school. FOURTEEN! Isn't that exciting?! I actually finish classes at the end of April instead of the end of May like I previously thought. Graduation is Saturday, May 14th. I think my graduation party will be the last weekend in May, which happens to be Memorial Day weekend. Wow, only 14 more weeks.

Comments

Dan & Katrina

Saturday afternoon, I had the distinct pleasure of celebrating Dan and Katrina's marriage. It was a very special ceremony and a beautiful reception. Dan is practically a member of the family so this was the reason Karen made it back for a visit. I know it meant a lot for her to see Dan get married. It was special to me that all of the Lucci's were there.

Here are a few pictures from the reception.

Karen's in Town!

Karen's in the Dallas area today! I even talked to her on the phone. She's staying at my parents' house, but I'm sure I'll see her soon. A group of us are going to get together Saturday night for Mexican food if you want to see her. Just drop me a note or give me a call!

Perfect Man

I just met the perfect man for me and I totally have a crush. He's attractive, dresses well, smart, and an art-lover. Perfect, I tell you. Unfortuanately, I have no reason to see him again until six months from now since he's my new dentist.

Comments

Working With Others

I just realized something about myself. I enjoy working with people far more than I enjoy working by myself. This is key when considering my next career move.

Quote of the Day

"Why is the person you give your money to invest called a broker?"

- Tim

Sushi in Austin

This was my first sushi meal of 2005. Delicious! It was a pleasure to share it with Phil.

Leia, not Leia

leia

Quote of the Day

"Actually, it does sound interesting to me. Basically any money-making scheme that does not require me to be at a particular place at a particular time on a regular basis is very interesting to me."

- Phil, about reading my Real Estate Finance and Investments textbook with me

New Years Eve

Happy New Year!

New Years Eve 2005 - Slides | Index

In Austin with Phil to ring in the new year. We started the night out by making new years lists and eating dinner in the hotel room. Then we went to the Rock the Casbah 80's party at The Parish. DJMel rocked the house. Wow, he's good. We danced all night except for when we stopped to take pictures of the awesome 80's outfits around us. Fun, fun fun! I even got a shout out from the DJ before we left...thanks, Mel!

The weather in Austin right now is incredible. Yesterday's high was 78 degrees! The low was only 63. I love Texas in the winter. Looking forward to just hanging out for the rest of the weekend. We'll probably grab a movie, do some shopping, and eat sushi.

New Years Resolutions (or "objectives" according to Phil):
- eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
- no cussing
- complete my MBA
- no regrets

Comments