Category: Weekend Update!

Back in Business!

mike d. 7 Comments school, Weekend Update!

Good morning!

We’re back! This weekend (actually most of last week really) was pretty much non-stop work. Friday saw class, Saturday saw class, and Sunday saw 11 hours of work on an engineering project. So really, not all that super.

BUT, there were moments of joy nestled in between the mayhem. First, I had dinner with Schuyler and Darcy on Saturday night. We got a little dance dance revolution and guitar hero in before I headed out overwhelmed with exhaustion. Those people are so much fun.

Saturday’s class was rather exciting as well. The class I’m taking is ‘Management Failure Analysis’ We’ve been talking about big failures and what went wrong and how to fix them. This week we had Rear Admiral Thomas Atkin come in to talk to us about Katrina. Admiral Atkin was the Chief of Staff for the federal government’s response to Katrina. His commentary was great and, whew, what a cool guy. Tall, clean cut, and dressed in his coast guard uniform he walked into the classroom with an aura of authority. He was extremely well spoken and really knew what he was talking about. He discussed federal and state law during emergencies and some of the challenges that he and the others (federal, state, and political) faced as they tried to rescue the people of New Orleans. We discussed future disasters, the role of media, the organizational structure of emergency response, and some specifics to Louisiana.

It was totally awesome.

Travel

mike d. 1 Comment Weekend Update!

All in all, the travel went pretty well last week. The meetings were smooth and the dining out was A+. After getting home I zipped out to Cape Cod to relax a bit with my sister and her fantastic friends Amy and Kevin. We played dominoes, ate excessively large burgers, and chatted about all sorts of things. It was a nice break from the typical world and despite the fact that the vacation was short, it did the job of resetting my frustration clock.

So now we’re back at work. The Problem Light remains on but I’m confident that my sunburn will be a consistent reminder of the weekend relaxation.

Monday

mike d. 3 Comments Weekend Update!

These Mondays keep sneaking up on us. We’re all relaxed into Sunday night and then… BANG. It’s Monday morning again. Here’s a recap on all things Mike D.

Work.
The next two weeks are going to be a bit off the charts with respects to work. Between travel and deadlines, it’s going to be out of this world. The problem light remains on.

Our band.
Our band continues to rock without a name. I started learning “Mailman” by Soundgarden. DANG. Wow. I really really appreciate soundgarden. Jesse and I spent some phone conversations this weekend trying to figure out the timing in the verses. I was thinking it was: 4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 3, 4. But Jesse figured out that it was 8, 8, 7, 6. Look up the song on Youtube and count the beats. It’s truly a remarkable tune.

DDR.
There was a DDR get together on Saturday night. Darcy, Shaun, and I danced with powerful vigor.

The Website.
Ryan Schenk continues to be annoyed at the advertising. He’s going to be especially excited when he learns that I was just contacted by a new advertiser. Perhaps I can sell out even more (yes!).

School.
We’ve been reading about political work styles. Perhaps I’ll make a post about it, it’s moderately interesting. Despite this, all the homework is really putting a damper on my…

Climbing.
Haven’t been. School’s been annoying.

Kung Fu.
I hope that work and school won’t bust up my kung fu plans. I really want to get to those seminars next week.

Cape Cod.
It’s Cape Cod season! I’m hoping to zip out to Cape Cod this weekend for some fun with my sister. It’ll be nice to escape.

The Eating.
I’d mentioned wanting to improve my diet. This weekend was a good one for food. I had a wealth of veggies and tasty meals. I made my Dad’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe, my sister’s Pan Fried Noodles, and my dad’s Pizza recipe. Delish! And on my Mom’s suggestion, I’ve started having a small bowl of yogurt with granola as a tasty breakfast additive. It’s a good move.

And that’s it! How are things in your life?

Officially Doctored.

mike d. 5 Comments family, Weekend Update!

This weekend my sister T was ceremoniously rewarded her PHD in social psychology. It was a really fun ceremony. There was a monster parade and bells and drums and hundreds of people wearing robes and various hats.

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T walked across stage where the administration gave her the diploma and placed the hood over her head. It was triumphant. The raucous crowd cheered heavily. What perfect weather as well! It was a proud day in Rhode Island to be sure.

Yay Tree! Great job!

The rest of the weekend was reasonably relaxed. My memorial day was spent out at East Peak with Pete. I worked Rat Crack and Cat Crack with some practice ascending. Rat crack was kind of miserable. it wasn’t really a crack so much as an off width – and I hate off widths. Cat crack, on the other hand, was a totally intense crack. For crack climbing you have to jam your joints and fist in between the rock to help pull yourself up. It’s extremely intense. Every move hurts. Today my arms are all sorts of scratched and scarred from the climb.

Then last night we had some pizza and some rockband. This was a good weekend.