I am woman...therefore, I will always ramble...

2009-03-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Anonymous,

Are you too afraid to post your real name when you leave me a comment like this?

"You're a fucking idiot and should shut down this blog. I amd dumber for having read it. You suck." - Anonymous.

This is my personal blog and I didn’t invite you to slam it. Next time you choose to slander me, be a man/woman and put your real name down.

Oh, and I’m glad you are dumber now. Darwin will get you soon asshole.

XOXO,

Your favorite blogger

F*CK Hyundai!

2008-06-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

For 8 years I was a loyal Hyundai supporter. My first car had very few problems and never once did I pay out of pocket to repair any issues. Well, today has changed my opinion. My little sister has a 2001 Hyundai and she brought it into the dealership to have them checkout a noise it was making. Next thing she knew, they said she needed a brand new engine. And Hyundai wasn't going to pay for it.

Her car only has 72,000 miles on it, is only 7 years old, and is well below their powertrain warranty of 10 years or 100,000 miles. The dealer said she "abused her car" and it won't be covered. Their definition of abused is that she brought in her car and it had lower than normal amounts of oil. I'm calling bullshit right here! Her 3 month oil check up was 1 week over due and there is no way to prove what level of oil was in her car when it went in. They could have easily made that up.

I think she should sue the dealer and Hyundai. This is redicilous. Any one know of any good lawyers?

Time for me to go home...

2007-07-31T00:44:00.000-07:00

10 days and counting! I can't wait to see my family and work can't seem to go by quick enough. It's been 8 months since I last saw any of them.... crazy how time flies. I just can't wait to hug them and just be in that state of total bliss where you know you belong.

Work Frustrations....

2007-07-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

I would consider the workforce at Intel to be higher than average in terms of technical capability and advanced level degrees, but way below average in terms of the company’s ability to follow simple directions. About 95% of the workforce has advanced level degrees, yet only 1% can follow directions. How did anyone ever graduate without this simple skill set???

It irks me to no end when I ask a simple question and then I get every other answer in the book and not an answer to my initial question. I don’t care if you answer my question and then go off on tangents about other things, just give me the answer to my question!

A good source of my frustration is because of email. I ask someone a question, it takes them X amount of time to get back to me, and when they finally do, they still have not answered my question. This then causes me to send them another email asking them the question again or to personally hunt them down (which I probably should have done to start). It’s these type of trade-offs that are hard to weigh…. it takes 10 seconds to write a question in an email + the variable response time or it can take several minutes to find the person (if they can be found) and only then do you hope they have the immediate knowledge to answer your question. I’m slowly finding what style works best for the people I work with most but it’s still frustrating nonetheless.

I know this frustration may seem futile to most but I think we have all experienced it at some point in our work or home lives. My new goal is to not “sweat the small stuff” but I think I’m a long way away from the end of this journey. Any advice on how to accomplish this??? To date, the only advice I’ve been given is to adopt an “I don’t care attitude” at work. Not sure I’m going to quite accept that mentality just yet…. I care to have a job two months from now.

Whew...... life is on mach speed

2007-04-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

Months are flying by, I am almost 24, and it seems like only yesterday that I was turning 16, 18, 21. Now, those milestone birthdays are merely a passing memory.

I imagined my life being "stagnate" after taking a full time job. Instead, all it does is accelerate. I wonder if it is due to all the things I do to keep busy and it just makes every week seem like a blur, since it's the same thing week after week. The quote, "same shit, different day" comes to mind.

Monday's = Work 8-5, Tennis at night
Tuesday's = Work 8-5, Frankfurt Underlords Kickball team (includes excessive drinking on occasion)
Wednesday's = Work 8-5, Typically a night off, but recently I've been having a poker tournament, a concert to attend, or the old standby - Happy Hour Hump Day... mmm saki bombs :)
Thursday's = Work 8-5, My other kickball team at night (Go Double Fisters!!! - again, drinking excessively is highly encouraged).
Friday's = Work 8-sometime in the afternoon -ish :) and that's followed up with a guaranteed happy hour.
Saturday's = reserved for special events and pool lounging or the occasional shopping spree
Sunday's = Reading the paper and not much else... at least until night fall when I play on my softball team.

I know it's great to be busy but I feel like I'm not appreciating how my youth is passing. I'm on full blast at work and in play. Tough life, I know.

I just realized i worked for an engineering company...

2007-03-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

Never have I heard of "Pi Day" until today. Not once, but three times today I was informed that it was "Pi Day" by three different process engineers that I work with. When I explained that I had never heard of "Pi Day" before, they were each in a state of complete disbelief. They couldn't comprehend that I hadn't celebrated this day in one of my previous math classes growing up. Did you ever celebrate it? If so, what in the world is there to celebrate? Do you have competitions to see who can regurgitate the most decimals in Pi???

I only knew today as Wednesday. Which signified to me that Happy Hour Hump Day at the local was on tap for the evening. I guess that also explains the difference between a process engineer and an IE. I went to school for "social engineering" and obtained a minor in alcoholism.

Anyway, HHHD didn't happen like I had hoped because I had to move my belongings to my new apartment in Ahwatukee, Az (it sounds just like it is spelled). That was fun. Only one minor injury was incurred during the move. That's pretty good in comparison to my previous moving record. Prior moves have just not been pretty....

Reason Number 2 for why I should get a Macintosh

2007-03-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NoGbLI3ePA 'Nough said.

My Favs

2007-03-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone has some favorite things about the city they live in. Mine are few right now, but with each passing day, the list is growing. But for the two months I've lived in Phoenix, I've had the opportunity to create some favs...

Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian - Simply amazing. Best restaurant I have ever been to. Asian and Cuban infused food helped create this phenomenal dining experience. I've never seen fruit used in every single dish as they did here. Purely exquisite.

ZTejas - If you go, get the Chambord. This is an absolute must. The Chambord is a rasberry or pomagranate magarita that is guaranteed to leave you in the right mood. Reality is, you could be a NFL lineback, weigh 300lbs, or be a little girl like me, and the bartenders will cut you off after three - no ifs ands or buts. Best margs, hands down.

The Grid System - The city is very well designed in comparison to many other cities I've visited. Every street runs north, south, east, or west. Things couldn't be easier to find. In addition to the relative ease of the grid system, all the major roads are basically highways. 45 mph is the speed limit on these main roads (read: everyone goes around 55). Rarely does getting on the highway reduce my commute time. It is a commuter's dream in some respect.

The Weather - How could anyone not love 300+ days of sunshine a year and tshirts/shorts practically year round???? Granted I have yet to feel the intense summer heat but it has been 95 recently and it def wasn't the same 95 I've experienced with humidity. I'm mostly excited about having a summer sans the humidity and frizzy hair days. :)

The People - The people here are much more open minded and intelligent that most people I meet in Ohio. I have many smart, fun, and intelligent friends in Ohio, but the everyday, run-of-the-mill individual I meet is on a whole other level. The caliber of the conversation, their past experiences, outlook on life, etc. is a completely different take that what I've experienced in Ohio. This could be a product of my work/industry but a larger portion of it, I believe, is due to the transplant nature of the city. Nearly everyone I've met has moved to Phoenix for a job. Maybe it's all the moving and hodge-podge of individuals from different states and cultural backgrounds that help create this interesting city.

Outdoor Activity - Since moving here, I've gone on several hikes and "explored" mother nature. Or at least I've explored mother nature to the extent that can be had in one Saturday morning/afternoon. I've joined two softball teams and two kickball teams. I can tell, that to many Phoenicians, personal health and well being is a priority and an area where people invest a lot of their time. I hope to continue to invest my time in these areas as well.

Men: More evil than evil itself?

2007-01-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

It appears that men are more evil than evil itself. Evil to the power of 3 in fact! At least according to the following "mathematical proof"…

Please try to ignore the poor grammar (no, I did not create the proof - but I did find it rather amusing). My guess is some English-as-a-second-language genius must have created the "proof". That, or some overly pissed off American girl who in her mathematical fury got so lost in the calculations, that she had a complete disregard for proper English.

Regardless, I am sure you can decipher it.

Can you tell this is my “I hate men” post?

I hope that one day a good man will change my opinion. Any takers????

The writing is on the wall... The computer wall that is.

2007-01-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

You know how humans have stubble ways of getting what they want and leaving hints for people to discover... Well, I think my computer is acting the same way - only slightly more direct. Every time I start my computer it crashes within the first 2 minutes. If that is not a sign that I need a new computer or it needs some serious work, my computer never fails to give me a real sign (pop-up window) that says it all.

First, I would like you to note the title of the pop-up window. "Winpos". I have no idea what "Winpos" is, but I like to think it is the shorthand form for "Windows: Piece of Shit". Did apple somehow infect my computer with the truth? Instead of blatantly saying how shitty Windows is and how I need to buy an Apple computer a.s.a.p., Apple Co. is resorting to semi-subliminal messages? I know that is not the case, but I am dying for the new apple MacBook. Look how cute they are :)

Anyway, back to the pop-up window. My other favorite thing about this system feedback is the "division by zero" error. If that is not one of the scariest feedback messages, I do not know what is. Isn't the universe supposed to implode if it divides by zero??? Okay, maybe the universe would not crash but I am sure my computer would crash and not live to tell the tale. So clearly, my computer is defying death and it is saying, "Replace me now before I crash entirely and leave you SOL".

I think I am going computer shopping this coming weekend...

My new love...

2006-09-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Since moving back to Ohio from New Mexico my mind cannot seem to focus on anything school related and instead keeps drifting back to my New Mexico love... Reggaetón!!!

To me, Reggaetón is the next best thing to my all time love, Techno. When I hear it, I just want to dance!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Reggaetón, in essence, it is a mixture of Spanish/Puerto Rican music, rap, and some rock. I highly recommend you download some tunes and before you know it, tacquiredred taste will leave you wanting more. See below for some of my top rated Reggaetón songs :)

And sadly, since I live in Midwestwest, no Reggaetón radio stations exist. I guess 2.46% of the Columbus population claiming theyHispanicpLatinoatino doesn't qualify the cbus for very much diversity in certain forms of media.

Next stop - Miami - to tear up the Reggaetón dance clubs!

Some of my favorite Reggaetón songs:
Oye Mi Canto by Nina Skye (you probably have heard this one...)
Chevere by Voltio ft. Notch
Rakata by Wisin & Yandel
Mayor que Yo by Wisin & Yandel
Noche de Sexo by Wisin & Yandel ft. Aventura
Te he querido, te he llorado by Ivy Queen
Rompe by Daddy Yankee
Gasolina by Daddy Yankee
Mirame (Remix) by Daddy Yankee
Yo Voy by Zion y Lennox
Pobre Diabla by Don Omar
Angelito Vuela by Don Omar

"Near Death Experience"

2006-07-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the casino, got home around 130am, and went to bed prepared to sleep until at least noon the next day. Unfortunately, the sleeping until noon didn't work out in my favor. Instead I was awoken by the sound of the fire alarm going off at 630am and smoke in the air. I panic and jump out of my bed, head straight for the door and ready to jump out a second story window if necessary. I throw open my bedroom and there are my two roomates, talking, fire alarm still going off. I'm so confused, they are not in a state of panic, why aren't they running? Turns out the fire alarm in my roomates room had a low battery and when that happens it sounds off every 10 minutes. So the smoke I thought I saw was just the blurriness from sleeping in my contacts from the night before and it was comforting to know that the fire alarm had gone off three times before I finally woke up. So if it had been a real fire, I would have burned up with the house. I'm sure of it. And still to this hour, I can't fathum how I slept through its piercing noise. I hadn't been drinking the night before (so that couldn't have altered my ability to awake)...it's truly a mystery and a scary one at that. I'm just glad to be alive and that it was only a false alarm.

Single Greatest Event known to man...

2006-06-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

....Mud Volleyball Tournament.

You know I've heard of mud wrestling but never before have I seen 10,000 people (528 teams) congregate in one location for an all out volleyball showdown.

Sunburns, beers, and laughter were had as I cut up my knees, was body slammed in to the mud on several occasions, and had more mud lodged in places I'd never dreamed it could be.

Good times were had with friends and I shall return next year :)

Women Vs. Men

2006-06-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

This is a much overdue post on the differences between men and women and most of my knowledge comes from a phenomenal presentation I attend by Becky Schmieding with IBM. As Ferris Bueller would say, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up" ("one up" being inviting Becky S. to give her presentation to your company or group). "It is so choice."

Anyway, on with the good stuff. To start with, let us go back in time to the years of our great ancestors (Cavemen and Cavewomen) and access their primary roles.... Cavemen can be likened to a group called, "Lunch chasers and fire gazers" while Cavewomen are more likely to be associated with the title, "Lunch maker and nest builder." In fact, these titles suit each gender quite well. The Cavemen would hunt animals ("lunch chaser") and in turn would bring their kill back to the Cavewomen to prepare ("lunch makers). In addition, typically once the Cavemen would return home, they would sit around the fire and sit in astonishment of the pure nature and newfound "technology" that is fire (hence "fire gazers"). Another typical role of Cavewomen would be to prepare the home ("nest builder") while the men were away. So given thousands of years have passed since Cavemen roamed the earth but we still carry on the same roles today. Typically men are thought of as the breadwinners (and in essence they bring home the "bacon"/aka "Lunch chaser") and upon returning home from work, sit in front of the T.V., gazing into it for hours ("fire gazers"). As for woman, many still prepare food for all members of the household ("Lunch maker") and are essentially "nest builders" in the way they manage and set up a home.

Okay that last bit was a little long so I'll try to shorten the rest...

Speech: Men have 3 vocal tones while women have 5. It's no wonder you mother always says, "Don't take that tone of voice with me!" She's apt to notice your change in 'tude and tone while your father may not. Women: next time you hear your mom say that or you happen to say it one day to your kids and your dad/the father is around, ask him if he heard that tone. Chances are he'll respond, "What tone of voice?"

So while women are more sensitive to differencing tones (volume & pitches), men are more apt to imitating and identifying animal sounds. Again, this is no surprise. Cavemen needed to be able to imitate the sound of an animal to attract them as well the ability to recognize what type of animal is near and if they should get the hell out of there and fear for their safety. (Alex, I often think of that time you was able to imitate the monkeys on Corcovado and they actually came after you "summoned" them).

Sight: Ah... Tunnel vs. peripheral vision. Can you guess which gender has which? Men are more likely to have tunnel vision while women posses a more peripheral view on life and their surroundings. This surely explains why men can only see what's directly in front of them in all situations...

For example: Say you are at a party with your husband. Almost instantly, the wife will notice the most handsome looking man in the room, size you up to him, and note in what areas you are lacking. She will also notice the most beautiful women in the room and in turn, find that she is lacking some attributes as well. The husband on the other hand does not take note of either one of these individuals until they intercept his "tunnel vision". Therefore, when the beautiful woman walks past the husband, the husband takes notice and immediately follows the woman with his eyes, and effectively rotates his head. This is also about the time when the wife slaps her husband for being so obvious and he never sees it coming. Yet the woman knew when the beautiful woman would intercept his path (due to her peripheral vision) and was waiting for her husband to shameless stare at the woman.

So the moral of the story is: men, women see everything and you should slap your wife on good faith for checking out men as well even though you didn't catch her doing so. She just has the ability to do it slightly more discreetly. :)

Lastly, in my opinion this could also be related to why men are such bad drivers... they never see the person to the side of them. Science has proved it, so don't even try to debate it boys!

Color: So a real quick blurb on color. Imagine you are sitting in an audience full of men and women and you select a woman from the audience and you ask her to tell you what color shirt someone is wearing and you repeat this exercise for several other people. To a man, all the colors are "green" but to the woman describing the shirts they may be a bevy of different shades, e.g. blue-green, sage, forest green, pale green, etc. Ladies: this is a prime example of why you should never ask your bf/husband if an outfit looks good together or "does this match?" He does NOT know the answer!

Stress: When men and women are stressed, they both act differently. Women like to talk about what is stressing them while men tend to clam up and not talk. Why is this? Well it can be linked to the corpus callosum between the brain hemispheres and the size of these connecting "tubes/tunnels". Women tend to have larger "tubes" connecting the hemispheres and allows for the better flow of thoughts and ideas to reach the other side of the brain that enables speech. Men on the other hand, have many narrow and fewer wide connections. Thus limiting their ability to communicate or talk when stressed. So ladies, don't stress when you man doesn't want to talk about a problem. More than likely it will just make him more stressed and not want to talk even more. He's not trying to purposely piss you off as most of us believe they like to do so.

Stimulation: Bottom line, men need more stimulation, thus they take more risks. The chemical dopamine is higher in males and is an active ingredient that stimulates the male mense. Women on the other hand have more Serotonin, making them more sensible and thoughtful and are more prone to "hear" external stimuli and be cautious and less of a risk taker.

Also, a women's touch and smell are much more acute than males. So yes, those farts you rip boys are bad and they do not smell as good as they do to you! Be sensitive next time you let one rip and understand what our noses must go through! As for touch, all I can say is that you have some homework to do.

Random tidbits since this blog is getting super long: The last area I want to highlight on is in regards to work place differences and some behavior differences. Men view work in a hierarchy structure (one is above or below another) while women view work in a flat structure (all other women are their equals). Men create working relationships while women try to be friends with everyone. Women need to learn verbal bantering with their male counterparts since so much of that is done so between man to man that if a woman can withhold her own and demonstrate some wit, it places them that much farther in a man's brain. Lastly, women need to speak up at meetings and ensure their voices are heard.

Some classical behavioral differences include the will versus try mentality. Men will complete something. While women will try to complete something. There is no more trying. You will do it.

The "nod". To men, a nod means you agree with them, while women view the nod differently. To women it means they understand and follow what you are saying. So if you ever see a women nodding, she is not agreeing. She will verbally state her agreeing with you versus a nod. Do not take this "nod" as an okay. We are in agreement only, end of story.

When a project "fails" a woman sees it as a failure on their part while men view it as a lack of ability on someone's part. Women, we mustn't be so hard on ourselves!

Conclusion: The previous is just a small collection/remembrance of what I learned in her presentation one afternoon. It offered many other hysterical and interesting facts about the differences between men and women, as well as many tests (how is your brain wired? Mostly female, mostly male, or in between, a spatial test, etc.) But I am hard pressed to remember them now.

I would be interested in hearing from those who read this blog and their thoughts on the subjects I have presented. I found myself agreeing with most of what was said and if you agree otherwise, I challenge you to rebuttal.

My first blog

2006-05-06T01:30:00.000-07:00

So I was sucked into signing up for a blog account after a boust of nastalgia hit me and I wanted to comment on my dear friend's blog. After signing up, I was not redirected to his comment's page but instead presented with the opportunity to express myself.

Sadly this initial blog will not be anything more than a blackhole on your time since it contains no mind altering material, but hopefully, in future rants, it will contain intellectually stimulating subjects such as senhor Shepley and senhor Rixey have so adequately provide me with over time.

In addition, I must warn you. I am woman and more than likey this blog will contain the remaining 5,000 words per day that I was unable to express in one calendar day (interesting fact: woman typically speak 20,000 words per day in comparison to a males 7,000 words/day). This clearly answers the age old question of why men sit down in front of the TV after a long day of work and all they ever say to their wives is "When's dinner going to be ready" and "Good night honey". They have spent all their available words by the end of day...

More to come on this interesting differences between the sexes in a future blog. Until then, beijos gente e boa noite (kisses everyone and good night).