Normally I update my wardrobe an item at a time. A new shirt here, a pair of pants there, and old stuff just gets thrown away in time. But somehow I have managed to come upon disastrous string of events and need to buy a whole lot of clothes at once.
I have two pairs of pants that I've just wanted to replace, and while I can admit that there is nothing "wrong with them" they just happen to be two pairs that I don't like to wear... Into the donation bag with them. I also have a couple shirts that I just don't wear. They're taking up room in my closet, and they haven't come off the hanger in a good six months. Time to pack them up and ship them out.
Then in the last two days my clothes have just had no luck.
Monday I was at work in a very comfortable gray silk shirt when a case of beer committed suicide and proceeded to spray beer all over my clothing. The pants are OK, the shoes got some polish when I got home, but the shirt was just F'd. No hope for it whatsoever. Fine, I need to buy three shirts instead of two.
Then today I was in an account where they were remodeling, and caught my pocket on a nail that was sticking out. A quick turn later, and my pants were no longer very adequate pants at all. This and other things have happened to people I work with before, and as such I have kept a change of clothes in the car every day for the past year. So I had something to change into, and a pair of pants that I really liked got a trip to the trash bin. The owner of the account felt so bad that he offered to pay for the pants. After he heard what they cost, I was surprised that he was so willing to buy me another pair. So at least I am not paying for the third pair for trousers (who uses that word, honestly?).
And now on Friday I get to go replace a number of items in my closet, and I couldn't be happier. It gets said that men hate shopping. That isn't true. Men hate shopping when they have to be doing it for other people. Or with other people. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy going and buying clothes for myself with a female friend in tow for the opposite sex opinion. I just can't stand going out, spending all day shopping, and not getting anything for myself (yes, I am a spoiled brat).
But now I am at an impasse. Do I stick with what I have always bought, or do I do something bold. When it come to dressing for work I am the most consistent guy on the planet. Black pants, buttoned shirt. Every day it's the same thing. Maybe I should try something bold. A pair of khaki pants, and perhaps a polo (tennis) shirt or two is in order.
But then I realize that I buy the same clothes every time for the same reason. I can dress down a dress shirt all day long. But I can NEVER wear a polo shirt to a work meeting, no matter how casual the meeting is. Meetings mean ties, ties require collared shirts. And so I may be bold with colors, but styles will remain the same. Maybe a pair of gray trousers (again with that word) to really make a change. I'd wager that someone at work would notice the difference. In two and a half years I've worn nothing but black pants to the office...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Working On A Sunday
So of course, yesterday I had a lot of fun and spent the entire day hanging out with a bunch of VW and Audi guys. There are hundreds of photos that I'll have to put up when I have the time.
Waterwagens, the biggest VW/Audi show in the state (perhaps the entire Pacific Northwest) is going on today at Pacific Raceways and I'm not attending.
Why? Because work needed to be done, and I am the guy that somehow always ends up "volunteering."
My boss took me to breakfast this morning and we spent some time going over a few critical things before work Monday morning. There is a lot to be done on Monday, and we just wanted to make sure that we had enough time to cover everything. Tuesday is the last day of the month, and it is to be saved exclusively for covering our asses and fixing whatever gets done wrong on Monday, so those hours are already spoken for. So Mondays work had to be carefully planned, and the time accounted for. Thank God we bothered to do so.
Apparently to finish everything that we wanted to do on Monday it would have taken a 14 hour day. I'd rather put in a few hours today and not work form 6AM tomorrow until 8PM at night. So here I sit at home, after finishing everything at the office and mailing myself what I could do at home. It isn't that bad. Shark Week is on the TV, I can update my blog while I wait for a Powerpoint show to download, and I can have a cold beer and a burger while working on a Sunday.
Waterwagens, the biggest VW/Audi show in the state (perhaps the entire Pacific Northwest) is going on today at Pacific Raceways and I'm not attending.
Why? Because work needed to be done, and I am the guy that somehow always ends up "volunteering."
My boss took me to breakfast this morning and we spent some time going over a few critical things before work Monday morning. There is a lot to be done on Monday, and we just wanted to make sure that we had enough time to cover everything. Tuesday is the last day of the month, and it is to be saved exclusively for covering our asses and fixing whatever gets done wrong on Monday, so those hours are already spoken for. So Mondays work had to be carefully planned, and the time accounted for. Thank God we bothered to do so.
Apparently to finish everything that we wanted to do on Monday it would have taken a 14 hour day. I'd rather put in a few hours today and not work form 6AM tomorrow until 8PM at night. So here I sit at home, after finishing everything at the office and mailing myself what I could do at home. It isn't that bad. Shark Week is on the TV, I can update my blog while I wait for a Powerpoint show to download, and I can have a cold beer and a burger while working on a Sunday.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday
So it's Friday and I am just exhausted.
It's not that I lost sleep or exerted myself to much, it's just the tension of the week finally being done with and over. We had some serious work to do this last week in order to make sure that everything that needed to be done in July will get finished before August 1st. I know that there are two work days left in the month, but there was a LOT to get done.
One of our largest brands has their fiscal year begin in July. For us this means that July is a phenomenal time to get ahead of the game and stay there. If we can get to the end of the month up a few percent, we can keep that trending positive and carry that growth throughout the year. It also gives us a bit of breathing room if we have a slow month...
August is also Washington Wine Month. It doesn't sound like that big of a deal to most people out of the state, but here it is huge. Washington has a ton of state pride when it comes to their wines and a lot of people will drink very little else. To me it's foolish, but hey, if someone is thrilled about our wines and wants to have nothing else, more power to them. August will be one of our biggest wine months, and as a result there is a lot to be done before the 1st...
Then there are incentives. A LOT of summer based incentives for our sales guys end in July (to allow them to cap off their numbers with one of the biggest beer months of the year). Incentives range from a couple of hundred dollars to $5,000+. One of the neatest incentives simply has an allotment of money to be won. People earn their portion of the cash by hitting their personal sales from last year for the territory they sell in, and then their percentage of increase is their percentage of the money they earn. The pot is in the neighborhood of $12000. A five percent increase nets you $600. A fifty percent increase nets you $6000 (a number that they expect NOBODY to hit). It's a really cool structured incentive that really gives people one hell of a goal. 5% is easy (the beer business for this brand is already trending at 7%), but growing from there requires effort and intelligence. Because this same incentive happens every year, and every year the money grows, a SMART victory is the key. Sure one could turn an 30% increase this market, but to make A DIME next year they have to match that number and then grow from there.
So, the end of July is a very busy time with us running hundreds of numbers for our guys and for ourselves.
And now, for the most part, I don't have to worry about much. So I'm at home relaxing...
It's a good Friday.
It's not that I lost sleep or exerted myself to much, it's just the tension of the week finally being done with and over. We had some serious work to do this last week in order to make sure that everything that needed to be done in July will get finished before August 1st. I know that there are two work days left in the month, but there was a LOT to get done.
One of our largest brands has their fiscal year begin in July. For us this means that July is a phenomenal time to get ahead of the game and stay there. If we can get to the end of the month up a few percent, we can keep that trending positive and carry that growth throughout the year. It also gives us a bit of breathing room if we have a slow month...
August is also Washington Wine Month. It doesn't sound like that big of a deal to most people out of the state, but here it is huge. Washington has a ton of state pride when it comes to their wines and a lot of people will drink very little else. To me it's foolish, but hey, if someone is thrilled about our wines and wants to have nothing else, more power to them. August will be one of our biggest wine months, and as a result there is a lot to be done before the 1st...
Then there are incentives. A LOT of summer based incentives for our sales guys end in July (to allow them to cap off their numbers with one of the biggest beer months of the year). Incentives range from a couple of hundred dollars to $5,000+. One of the neatest incentives simply has an allotment of money to be won. People earn their portion of the cash by hitting their personal sales from last year for the territory they sell in, and then their percentage of increase is their percentage of the money they earn. The pot is in the neighborhood of $12000. A five percent increase nets you $600. A fifty percent increase nets you $6000 (a number that they expect NOBODY to hit). It's a really cool structured incentive that really gives people one hell of a goal. 5% is easy (the beer business for this brand is already trending at 7%), but growing from there requires effort and intelligence. Because this same incentive happens every year, and every year the money grows, a SMART victory is the key. Sure one could turn an 30% increase this market, but to make A DIME next year they have to match that number and then grow from there.
So, the end of July is a very busy time with us running hundreds of numbers for our guys and for ourselves.
And now, for the most part, I don't have to worry about much. So I'm at home relaxing...
It's a good Friday.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Six In A Row
So the Mariners have managed to lose six games in a row, and I'm going to the game tomorrow night.
The Mariners record, when I attend games, is 2-10. Two wins. Ten losses.
The weird thing is that I can't miss the game tomorrow night, because it's a work event. We have people from another country in to attend this baseball game, and I can't claim that I'm bad luck for the team and shouldn't go.
And Jeff Weaver is pitching.
The last Weaver game that I went to he got LIT UP for a few runs every inning. Like 5 runs every inning. This is going to be one hell of a game tomorrow.
The Mariners record, when I attend games, is 2-10. Two wins. Ten losses.
The weird thing is that I can't miss the game tomorrow night, because it's a work event. We have people from another country in to attend this baseball game, and I can't claim that I'm bad luck for the team and shouldn't go.
And Jeff Weaver is pitching.
The last Weaver game that I went to he got LIT UP for a few runs every inning. Like 5 runs every inning. This is going to be one hell of a game tomorrow.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The European Grand Prix
"The Honda is a piece of junk when compared to the MB422..."
-Absolutely my favorite comment from the race at the Nurburgring this morning. Not that I think that the Honda is unworthy of racing, but the Benz is by far a superior car.
For weeks people are going to debate the decision by McLaren-Mercedes to have Lewis Hamilton come into the pits and go onto dry weather tires after the red flag at the beginning of the race. After having slid off of a very wet track (along with 5 other cars), sustaining NO damage, and keeping the engine running, Hamilton's presence in the race AT ALL was a bit of skill and a ton of luck. But to have him switch to dry weather tires when the track was still very damp? I have no clue what the hell they were thinking. His climb from last to ninth was still quite spectacular, especially after his crash on Saturday.
At the end of the race, Benz still took home the victory, with Fernando Alonso winning the race in the other MB422.
Go MERC!
-Absolutely my favorite comment from the race at the Nurburgring this morning. Not that I think that the Honda is unworthy of racing, but the Benz is by far a superior car.
For weeks people are going to debate the decision by McLaren-Mercedes to have Lewis Hamilton come into the pits and go onto dry weather tires after the red flag at the beginning of the race. After having slid off of a very wet track (along with 5 other cars), sustaining NO damage, and keeping the engine running, Hamilton's presence in the race AT ALL was a bit of skill and a ton of luck. But to have him switch to dry weather tires when the track was still very damp? I have no clue what the hell they were thinking. His climb from last to ninth was still quite spectacular, especially after his crash on Saturday.
At the end of the race, Benz still took home the victory, with Fernando Alonso winning the race in the other MB422.
Go MERC!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
No US Grand Prix
So. Next year there will be no United States Grand Prix.
I am pissed beyond reason, and have been for days.
I've been taking my time in composing this post, because initally it was just a melange of; "arrogant European fucks," "Bernie Ecclestone can blow me," and "fuck this shit," with some other random quips thrown in. And at the time, it made perfect sense to me. I am not the only F1 fan in the country, and a lot of people in the country were that mad or more than that mad.
Ecclestone is not required to disclose why the track decline to host the Grand Prix. The track is not required to disclose the terms that were offered to them, in order to host the Grand Prix. Which leads to fans at this point being pretty much in the dark. F1, and the track are calling it a "mutual agreement," which has to strike every fan as a total load of bullshit. The final issue is, and will always be, money. "Reports" (which is my fancy way to say "reporter's gossip") were that F1 Management Ltd wanted as much as TWICE the fee that they had demanded the first eight seasons of the race at Indy. And I can't say that I disagree with an INCREASE in the fee to host the race. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has consistently had the largest crowds in F1 racing (while the are not mandated to release attendance figures, attendance for every race is "estimated" and usually accurate within 4% when figures have been released), and makes money hand over fist. But at the same time twice the money as the year before is one hell of an increase, and something well beyond reasonable to request.
At many other venues that host F1 racing, the tracks are owned by the city that they are in (hell, Monte Carlo, and Australia are run on city streets) and the city can directly see the benefits of the fee that they pay. Direct revenue to local businesses and the increased tax revenue generated as a result of that revenue, help to deffer that very significant initial fee. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is privately held, and as such, the only source of revenue for the people owning the track is money spent on tickets and at the track. While revenue is certainly great, asking someone to DOUBLE what they have paid simply the last year is absurd. Which leads to more speculation...
Bernie Ecclestone does not want Formula One Racing in The United States of America.
There, I've said it, and I'm not the first guy to make that proclamation. I do feel that Ecclestone has never really respected the US as a venue, and is not sad to see it go. If he wanted the fan base in this country to grow, he would have been more than willing to negotiate down to a number that Indianapolis would have accepted. Unfortunately, the man is presented with one depressing fact EVERY SINGLE YEAR...
The most popular motorsport in the US, is NASCAR...
Of course he doesn't give a damn about the US as a market. A majority of the people here are content to watch cars that are technological dinosaurs drive in a FUCKING CIRCLE. The difference between NASCAR and Formula One is the difference between a Ford Mondeo and a Ferrari. And they drive IN A CIRCLE...
Now if you happen to be a NASCAR fan, you can save your thoughts on this difference in style and performance, and simply kiss my ass. I don't give a damn how much driver skill it takes to win in NASCAR, how hard it is to do, or how "advanced" you happen to think the cars are. They drive standard V-8 engined, sheet metal bodied cars, in a loop... (If something is not above me, it is... ?) F1 cars are Carbon Fiber Chassis that have 2.4 litre V-8's making over 700 horsepower, that are rev limited at 19,000 RPM. And then there's the little fact that EVERY part is custom made for the specific car.
But I'm way off topic.
So for now we lose our race, and fans will depart the sport. It's not going to be a mass exodus, but people that had just been getting interested are indeed going to be turned off from the sport. And while dedicated fans like myself will remain, it does nothing to help the sport and it's growth in the US.
Plans for return? I'll believe it when I see it.
The US has numerous circuits that could host the race. Of course my mind says that the west coast alone has 6 or 7 tracks that would be more than adequate to host a US Grand Prix. My track picks would be Laguna Seca, Infineon Raceway, and Portland International Raceway as a "Top Three". The east coast could also get some love. New York has Watkins Glen, which would be a very tight and slow course (which also makes it easier for fans to watch the racing). St. Petersburg hosts an ALMS event in Florida, and that track would be a good venue to attract viewers on the east coast (and in the south). The list goes on and on.
The only thing that I think will NEVER happen (despite people protesting to the contrary) is a Las Vegas Grand Prix.
I am pissed beyond reason, and have been for days.
I've been taking my time in composing this post, because initally it was just a melange of; "arrogant European fucks," "Bernie Ecclestone can blow me," and "fuck this shit," with some other random quips thrown in. And at the time, it made perfect sense to me. I am not the only F1 fan in the country, and a lot of people in the country were that mad or more than that mad.
Ecclestone is not required to disclose why the track decline to host the Grand Prix. The track is not required to disclose the terms that were offered to them, in order to host the Grand Prix. Which leads to fans at this point being pretty much in the dark. F1, and the track are calling it a "mutual agreement," which has to strike every fan as a total load of bullshit. The final issue is, and will always be, money. "Reports" (which is my fancy way to say "reporter's gossip") were that F1 Management Ltd wanted as much as TWICE the fee that they had demanded the first eight seasons of the race at Indy. And I can't say that I disagree with an INCREASE in the fee to host the race. Indianapolis Motor Speedway has consistently had the largest crowds in F1 racing (while the are not mandated to release attendance figures, attendance for every race is "estimated" and usually accurate within 4% when figures have been released), and makes money hand over fist. But at the same time twice the money as the year before is one hell of an increase, and something well beyond reasonable to request.
At many other venues that host F1 racing, the tracks are owned by the city that they are in (hell, Monte Carlo, and Australia are run on city streets) and the city can directly see the benefits of the fee that they pay. Direct revenue to local businesses and the increased tax revenue generated as a result of that revenue, help to deffer that very significant initial fee. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is privately held, and as such, the only source of revenue for the people owning the track is money spent on tickets and at the track. While revenue is certainly great, asking someone to DOUBLE what they have paid simply the last year is absurd. Which leads to more speculation...
Bernie Ecclestone does not want Formula One Racing in The United States of America.
There, I've said it, and I'm not the first guy to make that proclamation. I do feel that Ecclestone has never really respected the US as a venue, and is not sad to see it go. If he wanted the fan base in this country to grow, he would have been more than willing to negotiate down to a number that Indianapolis would have accepted. Unfortunately, the man is presented with one depressing fact EVERY SINGLE YEAR...
The most popular motorsport in the US, is NASCAR...
Of course he doesn't give a damn about the US as a market. A majority of the people here are content to watch cars that are technological dinosaurs drive in a FUCKING CIRCLE. The difference between NASCAR and Formula One is the difference between a Ford Mondeo and a Ferrari. And they drive IN A CIRCLE...
Now if you happen to be a NASCAR fan, you can save your thoughts on this difference in style and performance, and simply kiss my ass. I don't give a damn how much driver skill it takes to win in NASCAR, how hard it is to do, or how "advanced" you happen to think the cars are. They drive standard V-8 engined, sheet metal bodied cars, in a loop... (If something is not above me, it is... ?) F1 cars are Carbon Fiber Chassis that have 2.4 litre V-8's making over 700 horsepower, that are rev limited at 19,000 RPM. And then there's the little fact that EVERY part is custom made for the specific car.
But I'm way off topic.
So for now we lose our race, and fans will depart the sport. It's not going to be a mass exodus, but people that had just been getting interested are indeed going to be turned off from the sport. And while dedicated fans like myself will remain, it does nothing to help the sport and it's growth in the US.
Plans for return? I'll believe it when I see it.
The US has numerous circuits that could host the race. Of course my mind says that the west coast alone has 6 or 7 tracks that would be more than adequate to host a US Grand Prix. My track picks would be Laguna Seca, Infineon Raceway, and Portland International Raceway as a "Top Three". The east coast could also get some love. New York has Watkins Glen, which would be a very tight and slow course (which also makes it easier for fans to watch the racing). St. Petersburg hosts an ALMS event in Florida, and that track would be a good venue to attract viewers on the east coast (and in the south). The list goes on and on.
The only thing that I think will NEVER happen (despite people protesting to the contrary) is a Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Greatest
So last night I had the greatest Italian food that I have ever had in my entire life.
I know that people in New York and Chicago read this and scoff, and you can go ahead. In those cities finding good Italian food is probably easier than finding good Italian food in Italy. Out here it is a bit more of a challenge. We do have Festa Italiana in September, but for most of the year anyone capable of making decent food keeps it to themselves and their immediate family.
And I crave Italian food.
All the time, I want good Italian. So for me the only resource is to learn and make it at home. So after years of practice I can make Fettuccine Al Burro E Panna (Alfredo) that tastes like the real thing (as in, in Italy). My Piccata is perfect. My Marsala quite magnificent. My Risotto's really ridiculous. And it goes on...
But recently I have had no desire to cook, and so I have been going out to dinner a ton. Usually with a young lady or a friend in tow. The plan of a dinner out on the town really sells people on the idea quite fast. And up until last night, Italian wasn't an option. Since the close of the greatest Italian restaurant ever (Sportivo) a few years ago, nothing Italian has been an option. The only food resembling Italian nearby has been The Olive Garden (which is about as Italian as fucking Denny's). So no delicious food for me...
Then last night my good friend Yenny calls me up and asks if I wanted to go get Italian food at Verrazanos. This is supposedly delicious Italian at it's finest, at prices that are reasonable and close to home too (literally a 5 minute drive if I hit every red light). Plus it happens to be the place the her fiance (the infamous TimmyTim) proposed to her. And she used to work with the bar tender there. And we go out Karaokeing with him and one of the mangers. So I figured that I should give it a try.
Best Food Ever.
Wednesday night happens to be Jazz night, so we had good live music going on, and some phenomenal food. I had the chef's daily special, which happened to be a gorgonzola, mushroom, and spinach stuffed chicken breast, with pasta and fresh zucchini. I can't even remember the name of it, but it was amazing. Even now, remembering it makes me somehow feel better about the state of Seattle cuisine.
I know that people in New York and Chicago read this and scoff, and you can go ahead. In those cities finding good Italian food is probably easier than finding good Italian food in Italy. Out here it is a bit more of a challenge. We do have Festa Italiana in September, but for most of the year anyone capable of making decent food keeps it to themselves and their immediate family.
And I crave Italian food.
All the time, I want good Italian. So for me the only resource is to learn and make it at home. So after years of practice I can make Fettuccine Al Burro E Panna (Alfredo) that tastes like the real thing (as in, in Italy). My Piccata is perfect. My Marsala quite magnificent. My Risotto's really ridiculous. And it goes on...
But recently I have had no desire to cook, and so I have been going out to dinner a ton. Usually with a young lady or a friend in tow. The plan of a dinner out on the town really sells people on the idea quite fast. And up until last night, Italian wasn't an option. Since the close of the greatest Italian restaurant ever (Sportivo) a few years ago, nothing Italian has been an option. The only food resembling Italian nearby has been The Olive Garden (which is about as Italian as fucking Denny's). So no delicious food for me...
Then last night my good friend Yenny calls me up and asks if I wanted to go get Italian food at Verrazanos. This is supposedly delicious Italian at it's finest, at prices that are reasonable and close to home too (literally a 5 minute drive if I hit every red light). Plus it happens to be the place the her fiance (the infamous TimmyTim) proposed to her. And she used to work with the bar tender there. And we go out Karaokeing with him and one of the mangers. So I figured that I should give it a try.
Best Food Ever.
Wednesday night happens to be Jazz night, so we had good live music going on, and some phenomenal food. I had the chef's daily special, which happened to be a gorgonzola, mushroom, and spinach stuffed chicken breast, with pasta and fresh zucchini. I can't even remember the name of it, but it was amazing. Even now, remembering it makes me somehow feel better about the state of Seattle cuisine.
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