tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65389612012-02-06T03:55:22.365-06:00The germinating seed of the blog this one will become.Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.comBlogger1041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-28148106218155469102010-03-30T09:27:00.002-05:002010-03-30T10:31:42.099-05:00

I'm reclaiming a little space to write today, despite being so busy my head has been spinning lately.Tonight I have a huge test in Chemistry over three chapters: ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and stoichiometry - the main calculation base for equations in chemistry. These calculations involve conversions from mass (grams) to moles (number of molecules in a unique element's molecular weight), and

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-21361693589060817562010-02-14T20:54:00.002-06:002010-02-14T21:08:38.625-06:00

Week 4 came to an unexpected close: Dallas got record-levels of snowfall so my chemistry test scheduled for last Thursday is postponed until this Tuesday. I DID take the biology test on Wednesday and I think I did awesome on it. I knew at least 90% of the answers, and several others I did a little process of elimination based on what I did know. I expect a good grade on that, and this cements me

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-54270485804834619952010-02-05T14:10:00.002-06:002010-02-05T14:28:13.449-06:00

Week three of classes is complete, but the studying must go on. The first three weeks of biology and chemistry were reminiscent of things I learned in high school, and as dim as that past is, I still found that I understood what we were talking about in these classes. Now, however, the realm of the really unknown is creeping in. For example, we're learning about electrons in much greater detail:

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-83744690387481976602010-01-26T23:13:00.002-06:002010-01-26T23:36:37.501-06:00

Monday came too quickly this week after studying pretty much all weekend long. My first homework of the semester was due on Monday - some practice questions for extra credit in Biology. They were over Dimensional Analysis, a way of converting from one unit to another that involves the metric system. I love it and wish I'd known about it in high school. It's entirely possible I was taught it then.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-20789502748337227112010-01-21T20:18:00.002-06:002010-01-21T20:28:52.941-06:00

I'm really looking forward to chemistry lab, and tonight was going to be the first one, but there was no lab because it's the first week of class and they are still organizing and need to train us on safety and stuff. So I got to go home after the lecture tonight; no opportunities to blow shit up. It's probably for the best - I feel like hell. The poor girl next to me in chem lecture kept looking

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-51245605736040390012010-01-20T22:13:00.002-06:002010-01-20T22:25:09.101-06:00

It's on now. I have now had two classes: Chemistry on Tuesday (lecture), and Biology (lab + lecture) tonight. I am excited! I really like both professors, and I think I'm going to do well. The mean age of the students in class is "fresh out of high school" with a few of us old-timers there trying to learn something new.And some of it is new. Some of it is common sense. My first homework

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-47599941535671312812010-01-18T22:41:00.002-06:002010-01-18T23:07:00.671-06:00

What can I say? It's been over a month since I promised to post about school and I've already finished one class. It was a beast of a class.It's not that I don't like statistics. In fact I found it very interesting and extremely useful in processing information in a more mathematical way. But several things impeded my progress at a smooth learning process.First, it was an accelerated class - 4

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-57289685191663811062009-12-01T19:03:00.002-06:002009-12-01T19:18:59.297-06:00

So I have all these books on the floor by my desk. They are school books which arrived this past holiday week. I don't want to talk bad about my last school, but these books seem harder and they are for a community college. Maybe it's the content: Statistics, Nutrition, Biology (this book alone weighs about 10 lbs), and General Chemistry.All these books are for pre-requisite classes for the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-14386081651969226502009-09-08T11:22:00.003-05:002009-09-08T12:18:10.896-05:00

I haven't been writing a lot lately, and it hasn't bothered me much. But every now and then I want to write about my life and that's when the conflicting beliefs rush in. I'm unemployed right now and this suddenly makes public writing seemingly different.There seem to be several camps of people, and hence corresponding beliefs that when you are unemployed, you should be publicly present in

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-58236506675663311472009-05-11T16:40:00.003-05:002009-05-11T17:02:58.555-05:00

Wow!Today I saw my 2nd shuttle lift-off live, on my 4th attempt. It was astonishing.We started the day at 4am and left the hotel at 5:15am to drive 11 miles to Kennedy Space Center. They opened at 5:30 on this special day - launch day - and we only spent a little while waiting outside in a tired stupor.We had breakfast with an astronaut at 7:30am (Mark C. Lee, who worked on Hubble once before and

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-58001794933456345402009-05-11T03:45:00.002-05:002009-05-11T03:52:13.967-05:00

It's 4:45am EDT and Dawn and I are about to leave to head over to KSC. Yeah it's early, but we're supposed to be there by 6am to have breakfast with an astronaut. That's actually going to happen at 7:30 or 9:00 or something. But it was our suggested arrival time and we're going to try and not get caught up in the crowds. It's easier to wander around there in the morning than fighting traffic all

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-25664989374128150682009-05-10T14:04:00.002-05:002009-05-10T14:05:51.458-05:00

If you are a member of Facebook, you can find pictures from the last two days on my profile. I think that link will get you in.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-56047730637141479132009-05-10T13:27:00.002-05:002009-05-10T13:39:17.553-05:00

Today is a quiet day after the busy-ness of yesterday. Yesterday was go go go, exertion, walking, etc. This morning after a languid breakfast at Waffle House (right next to our hotel), we drove out to the Merrit Island Nature Preserve to go on the Blackwing nature drive.I did this drive with Tom a couple years ago, and it was a nice quiet drive with a lot of waterfowl, other birds, alligators,

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-56686736334858901092009-05-09T20:54:00.002-05:002009-05-09T22:00:10.067-05:00

A journey to see the space shuttle launch is a journey fraught with positives, negatives, and heat.The trip so far has been a very good one, but I always forget how hot and humid it is here in Florida. I am not sure how I survived my first unprepared trip here in 2005 (http://auxumbilicus.spaces.live.com). Nevertheless Dawn and I had a great, if tropical day. Ever present is the heat and humidity

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-11468823464210860682009-05-09T08:20:00.003-05:002009-05-09T08:28:18.193-05:00

I'm back in Florida on vacation. Who knew vacation for me would entail trying to see the space shuttle launch again. This time I brought Dawn.This is just a quick note - we're off to Kennedy Space Center to go get on the tours and see the sights. They close a lot of the up close tours on launch day and I'd like a chance to see two shuttles on the pads - it's likely not going to happen again.I'll

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-37663005473217851262009-02-18T22:12:00.002-06:002009-02-18T22:26:24.510-06:00

Going to take a break from the deep thoughts and update you on Toronto.Had a really nice day - all the work stuff went well. I analyzed that data, boi-eeee!! Have some architectural ideas (I actually should be focused on requirements, not solutions, but it's a damn hard habit to break) and some documentation to do.But what was really nice today was the snow. I woke up mighty early to go slug it

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-39389597675453936552009-02-16T21:46:00.002-06:002009-02-16T22:36:46.639-06:00

So here I am in Toronto, Ontario. I've had sort of an unusual day in that this is the first work I've had in several months and I've discovered I have changed a lot in that time.I've got a one-time and possibly more than one-time gig with a former employer to help them out with some business analysis. It's happening just in front of some other work I really want to do with another northern set of

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-71102928602777118762009-02-06T13:36:00.003-06:002009-02-06T14:06:10.394-06:00

I find myself in a complex place this afternoon. I just finished watching the last episode of Millennium, a tv series I enjoyed in the late 90s. I also just completed reading a series by one of my favorite authors, Stephen Donaldson. Both of these were about struggling against apparent good and evil, experiencing the horrors in life and trying to make sense of them. I don't have these kinds of

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-29944388562331224332008-08-19T22:14:00.004-05:002008-08-19T22:30:44.390-05:00

OK. I reached overload today. This happens sometimes. The genius of yesterday is replaced with today's dullard. In the first two days I've taken over 20 pages of detailed notes about a hugely complex process. This is really one for the recordbooks. I can't go into it however, so you'll just have to use your imagination. Suffice it to say that Bob and I have a lot to analyze and sort through to

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-72068536155163360832008-08-18T21:52:00.002-05:002008-08-18T22:26:31.534-05:00

As expected, all my jitters went away today. It was a really good day. Our client was very honest and direct about the information they provided us. This location has employees that are retained for a very long time and it shows in the demeanor. It's a welcome change to talk about saving money through process, re-engineering, and data control rather than indescriminate slashing of dollars

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-47060741256634901432008-08-17T19:27:00.003-05:002008-08-17T19:36:37.373-05:00

And so I go... to Minnesota. Am I always this pensive before meetings? I was grouchy the last day or two and I don't really know why. It seems like I should know the reasons for my own grouchiness, but I guess sometimes it escapes me. Nevertheless, I'm here now. The flight to Minneapolis was uneventful and I sat next to a young woman rather than a huge hairy man, so bonus points. Bob met

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-19800219210828126562008-08-07T09:21:00.003-05:002008-08-07T09:41:04.113-05:00

There's a special point in time, somewhere between official summer and official fall, where something in me shifts.Some years I notice this shift when I step out the door on my way to the office and somehow the world looks just the same yet entirely different. Maybe it's a couple of degrees cooler (although in Texas, a cold-front this summer means it's 99 F outside). Maybe the wind is from a

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-86669260986601779002008-06-23T08:11:00.009-05:002008-06-23T08:44:02.755-05:00

Saturday morning dawned early and bright. OK, not so bright. I was up at 4:30am and it was still darkish out, but the light was starting to make its presence known.This trip was strangely confusing to my internal GPS and I nearly got Mark late for his early flight on Friday because I had no idea where I was. So, at 5:00am when I departed the hotel, I asked the receptionist how to get to the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-50933266560551381032008-06-19T23:12:00.002-05:002008-06-19T23:39:15.965-05:00

I'm someone who often misses the obvious, but there's no mistaking that Madison is a college town and that drinking is no mere pastime, but a full-on profession. I am clearly in the 80s/90s version of Austin before all the kids grew up and had kids -- but in the Midwest.We had some very good meetings today (from a personal development standpoint, one of the first times I've led an analysis

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-50481938136891790482008-06-19T06:57:00.003-05:002008-06-19T07:10:09.433-05:00

Usually before important meetings, I can't sleep well. It's not that I'm nervous about things going wrong. I think I just get worried about finally getting that one good night of sleep where I wake up an hour after the meeting starts. Consequently, fitful sleep last night. The sun rises astonishingly early way up here in the north, too. No lie - at 4:something am, I peer groggily out the window

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-47981434287682846072008-06-18T21:15:00.003-05:002008-06-18T22:21:36.407-05:00

Greetings! I write to you today from Madison, Wisconsin!But first, what's happened since Auburn, Indiana, my many (*cough*) readers want to know.First of all, Auburn went fine. A lot of potential work then came in so the India and Philippines trip was placed on hold while I worked my butt off for two months. Postponing the big trip was one of the weirdly hard decisions I had to make, and I did it

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-24063914503436672072008-03-11T23:19:00.002-05:002008-03-11T23:45:17.578-05:00

Greetings... I haven't posted since Cincinnati because there's been a gruelling amount of work to be done. Last week all this hit critical mass as I tried to schedule 3 travel engagements in March and then a trip to India and the Philippines for April. As of today, my lovely wife's birthday, India and Manila have dropped off the April date in order to be scheduled for a later time. Client work

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-60206962189976906672008-02-08T21:30:00.000-06:002008-02-08T21:35:17.802-06:00

Just a short note for the moment... just got in, about 9pm CST after a bumpy but eventless flight. We left directly from the client office to the airport, so I didn't have time to update the site.An intense couple of days: 2 day workshop, 8 hours each day. I captured 13 pages of data on process, technology, and publishing. After the formal "day" on Wednesday, our team would meet, have dinner, and

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-44279251753619830082008-02-06T20:13:00.000-06:002008-02-06T20:42:21.215-06:00

Travel sometimes begets drama. For example, I did not expect when I woke up this morning that the following things would happen: Vikas didn't make our flight, I would be on an extremely tiny plane, and that as a result of turbulent weather, I would watch a man barf after we landed.It's been a day. Worked most of the morning getting things ready, then went to the airport with Vikas. We had a

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-19515564445368924442008-02-06T10:32:00.000-06:002008-02-06T11:00:42.544-06:00

So a lot of people have asked how Cincinnati went. I guess we are all busy because it hasn't yet. I leave for the airport in a couple of hours to head out that way. Subscribe via RSS, below! You will be notified when I post!The last few days have been a blitzkreig of preparation for this event. On top of that I have spent a lot of time working on several projects at once. It' not so bad, actually

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-28857589699434682102008-01-31T09:22:00.000-06:002008-01-31T09:48:06.992-06:00

Whoa. The last week and a half has been work work work. I know I talk about how low key my job can be sometimes, but when we throw down the work, we really do it. All of the sudden I have five projects to work on all at once, and in several timezones.The main project is for a publisher in Cincinnati, so guess where I am going next Wednesday? Strangely enough Cincinnati's airport is in Kentucky

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-71193481285829211522008-01-21T11:03:00.000-06:002008-01-21T11:14:02.769-06:00

Why does my perception of the world seem so fast these days? I got up this morning, early, and we (Dawn, Tom, Jen, and I) went walking on the Katy Trail. I noticed how cold it was, and breezy, and how felt that certain sense of "morning-ness" that you get when you are out walking in the dark on a cold-brisk morning. It's a very different sensation than the conditioned daily office air.Despite the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-75493894987233835912008-01-09T11:32:00.000-06:002008-01-09T11:33:45.967-06:00

Of course I don't mean my own mom.Check this out - a mom sells her son's car because there was alcohol in it:http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/01/09/mean.mom.ap/index.html

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-56490559378042564752007-12-03T11:37:00.000-06:002007-12-03T11:39:41.526-06:00

OK. Well. I spent the last couple years on my auxiliary blog, and now I am feeling like I need a more accessible blog for others to contribute to and read. As a bonus, Blogger, in the last couple years, has added a lot of features I like - such as the update from email feature. I can use this to compose in the way I do to most of my family and friends and just include blogger as a recipient, and

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1138164101257961432006-01-24T22:40:00.000-06:002006-05-04T05:32:12.900-05:00

In case you were wondering, I don't hang out here as much as I used to. I have my auxiliary blog that I like better and I've been posting there more, so go on over and go catch up!http://spaces.msn.com/members/auxumbilicus/Regards,Michael

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1124814463930250622005-08-23T11:05:00.000-05:002005-12-29T13:36:44.206-06:00

This morning I woke up abrubtly in the midst of a REM cycle... either one of the cats woke me up by "stretching" (which entails knocking something big to the hardwood floors) or Dawn was reminding me I needed to get going to get to work.In any case, I woke up stupefied... felt like I was returning from another dimension, my IQ reduced to a mere 4 or so points. I stared at the cat, trying to find

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1124735480611135722005-08-22T13:24:00.000-05:002005-08-22T13:31:20.613-05:00

I've been "away" for a while, working on my companion blog, about NASA and the Space Shuttle, and so on.During this experience and in other areas of my life, I've been grappling with the idea of originality. I realize in an atomic way, my actions and thoughts and so on are unique and original: no one else has the same thoughts and actions in this moment in time as I do, and is therefore

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1114438435347442012005-04-25T09:02:00.000-05:002005-04-25T09:13:55.346-05:00

Dawn and I interacted with an alligator this weekend. No, not at the zoo, but on a nature hike at the Mitchell Lake wetlands area south of town. Dawn's looking at the place as a potential employment opportunity and so we decided to go wander some. They warned us there was a gator out there, and I, jumpy as always, was on the lookout. Around the back end of a trail next to a pond (which I would

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1114025413645614332005-04-20T14:22:00.000-05:002005-04-20T14:30:13.646-05:00

Disorientation has set in. I remember this Michael from 3 years ago. The Michael who makes his lunch in the evening instead of in the 3 minutes before he goes to work (if at all). The Michael who went to bed at 10pm to read before zonking into a distant book-induced hypnogogic dream drama.So, it's been a week and I should be starting a new class tomorrow--except I am not, so the week of vacation

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1113446787508518752005-04-13T21:43:00.000-05:002005-04-13T21:46:27.506-05:00

No more teacher's virtual dirty looks!!I am writing as I am about to press the final "send" which deploys our paper and presentation as the last post to my UOP classroom experience.What can I say, but, WHEW!Here's where I say thanks to all for the awesome support over the last few years, especially Dawn -- I promise we'll get to know each other again :)Off to have a cup of tea, press the send

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1113244720972341492005-04-11T13:23:00.000-05:002005-04-11T13:38:40.973-05:00

There's this cool computer game I played a year or so ago called Medal of Honor Allied Assault. It's a war-type game where you are an infantryman in one of the dread historical battles on our world. There's this feature of the game where if a bomb or mortar went off near your character the game would slip into "disoriented" mode, where the viewscreen (as perceived by your eyes) would tilt

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1112912385346347202005-04-07T17:13:00.000-05:002005-04-07T17:19:45.346-05:00

Let's see. One week from today I will be at least one of the following:Out of schoolOn vacationSleepingPlaying GalaxiesInebriatedSitting on the porchStaring uselessly into spaceIt's been an intense week, but I feel really great. I've dropped 13 pounds so far (that's like a whole bowling ball) and I have tons of energy thanks to proper modulation of my diet via LA Weight Loss. The cough is abating

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1112624065533400492005-04-04T09:05:00.000-05:002005-04-04T09:14:25.533-05:00

Yes, I am holding on to the pleasure of the last month and a half with a wheezy hacky cough. Everything else has cleared up--the Ear Infection of Doom and the Bronchitis of Discontent. Yet the cough lingers on, a friendly reminder of wrecked vocal chords and narrowed bronchial tubes. Ah, the pleasure, the tiredness.However, I did discover the source of much of my problem -- I wasn't just being

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1112205923991487232005-03-30T12:02:00.000-06:002005-03-30T12:05:23.993-06:00

Following in the footsteps of my wise younger brother, Jonathon:"If you read this, even if I don't speak to you often, please post a memory of you & me. It can be anything you want; be it good or bad, just so long as it happened. Then, post this to your journal. See what people remember about you..."

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1112204741224638362005-03-30T11:32:00.000-06:002005-03-30T11:50:03.326-06:00

It's 11:33am. Do you know where you mind is?Mine is outside. I'm sitting in my cube, thinking Spring-like thoughts. I have a ton of stuff to do at work, 2 papers due tonight for this last class (2 weeks, 12 hours, 36 minutes to go), and I'm sitting here with blog-like thoughts dancing in my head. They are dancing because I'm listening to Ministry of Sound as well.Hmmmm... this weekend Dawn and I

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1111503374733954612005-03-22T08:47:00.000-06:002005-03-22T08:56:14.736-06:00

Hello; I've been busy working and going to my LAST class (3 weeks, 1 day left) so the post quantity has been low. I realized the other day that I'll be graduating a day after my wedding anniversary and that reminded me that the Texas spring flowers will be in hearty full bloom. I find this appropriate.Class ends on a Wednesday, as they always do, and I'm taking off the next four work days to be

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1109949863979344392005-03-04T09:22:00.000-06:002005-03-04T09:24:23.980-06:00

Yo, d00d the surf is up and the sand is hot. I'm out there, riding the waves, not a care in the world. The gulls are yapping overhead. My girl is sleeping and tanning beside me. This deep breath is so meaningful.Yawn... carelessness should be a profession.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1109865108878838232005-03-03T09:29:00.000-06:002005-03-03T09:51:48.883-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you come home from work and you're exhausted and you take an unexpected nap. Then, you sleep just a little too long and when you wake up you feel like you are in another dimension or galaxy or universe? That sense of disorientation is what I'm experiencing right now as I look up from the last week.I'm going for "most sick person" record this past 6 months.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1109531123229439032005-02-27T12:59:00.000-06:002005-02-27T13:06:12.300-06:00

I've been wandering around the galaxy lately...getting ready for my freedom once again. I've been setting up the homestead and honing skills. You know; newbie stuff. There's rumors one can get comepletely lost out here...for good. A few snapshots of recent events:My home away from home: grinding for Artisan.Hostile encounters with the locals.Guarding the fort.Watch for more. Thanks for hanging in.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1109024377907148252005-02-21T16:10:00.001-06:002005-02-21T16:19:37.910-06:00

There's a buzzing inside my head, and that buzzing indicates I have 1 week and two days left in this class. Then I have one week "off", then I have my final capstone course (5 weeks long) and then I am done with school.I think it's uncool that as I get very close to finishing school the hardest classes are last when my patience, tolerance, and energy is least. Maybe this is what separates the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1107791917575857302005-02-07T09:49:00.000-06:002005-02-07T09:58:37.576-06:00

The little styrofoam cup sitting on my desk is issuing the lovely smell of a caffeinated beverage. It tasts good too. The coffee, not the cup. Is it just me or is the sound of coffee pouring into a cup like one of the most sacred sounds in the world? I get embarrassed listening to coffee being poured when in the presence of others--like I just got caught doing something I shouldn't be. The

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1107372851000982942005-02-02T13:24:00.000-06:002005-02-02T13:42:34.370-06:00

Mood: dispirited. Music: none. It's hard to qualify a day as bad or good--so why call it a bad day, or a good day for that matter? The day is somewhat external to me (although I create it, secretly)--the wind will continue to blow, the rain may fall, the sun may shine, all independent of how I feel. I feel dispirited (yet nature cares not) about work. There are times when I feel overwhelmed by

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1107186344979434532005-01-31T09:31:00.000-06:002005-01-31T09:45:44.980-06:00

I had this weird moment in a technical meeting the other day--I walked in carrying my laptop, the laptop's power supply, and my mini-mouse on one arm and some documents, my bottle of water, and a cup of coffee on the other arm. At first glance, you will think that I carry too much and that may be true, but that's not the point. I had this bizarre sensation that I was wearing my "equipment of the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1106664253786496302005-01-25T08:25:00.000-06:002005-01-25T08:44:13.786-06:00

The new year has presented itself with making sure that I spend more time thinking (deciding, acting, etc) in a longer term capacity with the beautiful counterpoint of remaining in the present. This may be the key to remaining focused and calm on the task (feeling, belief, etc) at hand, but knowing its place as a building block for the future and as a roadmap for the past. To that end, I will

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1106147932251922702005-01-19T08:56:00.000-06:002005-01-19T09:18:52.250-06:00

Note I say publish. Print is so antiquated these days. So very analog. It's been a wacky wild week--so much has happened. Last Thursday and Friday I was out from work all day for a leadership training class. It was very cool: I finally got some management tools I can use. The class was held by an external vendor who came in and had us in a closed room for two solid days. We went over conflict

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1105424109292869022005-01-11T01:14:00.000-06:002005-01-11T00:15:09.293-06:00

I created a new blog today. It's written from the viewpoint of one of my past lifes. Daniel is a Paladin from the middle ages. He's a bit right-wingish in his extremity, but it should be some interesting reading. http://paladaniel.blogspot.com/ Have fun. Mind your head.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1105419997019605062005-01-10T22:54:00.000-06:002005-01-10T23:06:37.020-06:00

Ah the question -- and a poll for folks reading the blog. To go to commencement or not? Here's a list of pros & cons. But first, a prequel. I have, since March 2002, been going to the University of Phoenix Online. My classes have been 5 weeks on, the 1 week off. Solid. I am ready for the break. I've never set foot in a classroom, seen what any of my teachers or classmates look like, or fallen

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1104986109902576802005-01-05T22:10:00.000-06:002005-01-05T22:35:09.903-06:00

So, I'm in a transitional mood today. Everything's a little dark, a little moody. I get this way before big energy shifts: school starts again tomorrow, I'm battling work again. Stuff like that. A scene from West Wing tonight reminded me of my grandfather's illness when he was alive. Usually, when I get in this mood, I get imagery and energy from a dead "past" life. I use the term "past" in the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1104808798247141852005-01-03T20:58:00.000-06:002005-01-03T21:21:28.356-06:00

The two are more similar than you might think. I was musing today about project management and how the events in a very large project get lost within the giant scope of events that happens to fulfill that project. My group was called today to fix an "issue" that has been a problem for a while. It actually wasn't an issue—it was a change in the scope of the documented process. The people

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1104182364231133772004-12-27T15:03:00.000-06:002004-12-27T15:19:24.230-06:00

I spent a few too many moments agonizing over the title, so this entry is untitled. Sometimes it's hard to find a single word that sums up everything going on, so you can fill in the blank yourself. So. What's been going on? I've discovered I react in extremes to things. For example, working out (yes, why don't we make this about the recent "I feel fat" blog entries). In my mind, instead of

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1103250970617498642004-12-16T20:14:00.000-06:002004-12-16T20:36:10.616-06:00

So... things are changing. Life is interesting. I am slightly inebriated. The last few times I've been sick, alcohol has managed to cure me. Now, I am particularly too lazy and paranoid to become addicted to alcohol despite being much more apt to drink it than when I was younger. Tonight I decided to test the healing power of beer again. I've been hacking my lungs out all day. My allergies are

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1102956913616993732004-12-13T10:33:00.000-06:002004-12-13T10:55:13.620-06:00

I find myself alsmost wishing this morning that I had the flu. Instead, I have Cedar Fever. Although fever is actually conspicuously absent, Cedar Fever is the scourge of South Texas from December through March or so. Having had the flu last year at this time, I almost -- almost -- prefer it's high-intensity short duration. Itchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat, 2 hours of sleep last night spend

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1102544757358033922004-12-08T16:18:00.000-06:002004-12-08T16:25:57.356-06:00

I really am getting somewhere. I've been a dick lately -- especial to Dawn (props to Dawn for putting up with me). All this belief deconstruction has shown me that I do not like change as much as I thought or claim to think. To begin with, I have become angry. Why should I change? Why is this happening? Why do I do these things? Psychologists everywhere put their fingers on their lips and think

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1102370600463609992004-12-06T15:19:00.000-06:002004-12-06T16:03:20.463-06:00

So. It's been quite a week since last I posted. After my belief deconstruction post, I experienced several days of very good energy. However, this past weekend I "crashed" and experienced some devastating poor energy filled with self-deprecation and frustration. This morning as I drove to work in a dreary rainfall (reality creationists will note the significance of this imagery) I heard my mind

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1101876278661269992004-11-30T22:36:00.000-06:002004-11-30T22:44:38.663-06:00

I wanted to check in today, however late and report back that, although I haven't deconstructed another belief set today I did think about and, reality creation was positive today. I don't think it's a coincidence. Ever notice that when you decide to make a change in yourself for the better, such as leaving a job, then all of the sudden everything that used to piss you off so much seems lighter

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1101758094405464112004-11-29T13:21:00.000-06:002004-11-29T14:03:05.063-06:00

So, today I am going to do an exercise for myself in belief deconstruction. This is an exercise I learned at a Seth workshop a number of years ago, and have felt the need to try it out. The point of belief deconstruction is to work back from a feeling to the core beliefs that provide the issue you are working on so much energy. In that way, by isolating the belief, you can accept you have the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1101316916307034042004-11-24T11:07:00.001-06:002004-11-24T11:21:56.306-06:00

It's that typical holiday day at work: we all said we wouldn't be this way, yet here we are, working. Or, at least physically at work. The breaks are a little bit longer... the hallway conversations a little bit louder and lengthier... most people are absent, out somewhere preparing for Turkey Day or praising their chosen diety that they are not working. I, however, am at work -- but, I have

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1101230115082870442004-11-23T11:06:00.000-06:002004-11-23T11:21:47.333-06:00

So the main thing I've been looking forward to lately is reading the newest book by my favorite author, Stephen R. Donaldson. When I learned earlier this year that "Runes of the Earth", the first of four books of the "Thomas Covenant" series (the "last chronicles of", in fact) I went nuts. As the book arrived freshly minted from Amazon.com, I had just started the first of the six prior books so I

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1096376638703140802004-09-28T07:57:00.000-05:002004-09-28T08:17:45.360-05:00

INFP: My Myers-Briggs personality profile. At work, I signed up to take a test to find out who I am. Well, the results are in, and it describes me perfectly!! ------ INTROVERTED-Applies to the way we interact with the world. Introverts are people whose thoughts and ideas are drawn inward. This type scan the external environment and make evaluations based on their inner ideas and mental concepts.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1094835975749061152004-09-10T13:01:00.000-05:002004-09-10T12:06:15.750-05:00

On my way to work this morning I saw the ground along the highway torn up at the turn where I stop every day before approaching work. Yesterday I'd seen the construction crew beginning their digging and I smelled the raw earth and dirt and thought that this kind of work was not so bad for the earth as I usually think -- isn't the earth made for changing and growth? Today, the stretch of ground

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1093962577276566382004-08-31T09:23:00.000-05:002004-08-31T09:30:46.686-05:00

So, today, after a long work-induced hiatus I am going to try my hand at blogging again. I'm pretty worn out by the work events of the last few months: 75+ hour weeks, post traumatic stress disorder, fear, expectation, etc. You know, standard work stuff. So lately I am focused on people not hearing me. This is happening at work with all the haulacitude going on quite a bit. I mean, I have a

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1086724869385891572004-06-08T13:49:00.000-05:002004-06-08T15:01:09.386-05:00

Some poetry based on a revelation I had while driving home last night. Soon, I focus on the inner matrix of me. Time to recall the original pattern of self That transcends time and space. It's too easy to focus on the differences between The original matrix and the present me, where I've spent Time expirmenting with being disconnected. A return to the original matrix will revitalize And

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1085608032820578732004-05-26T16:15:00.000-05:002004-05-26T16:47:12.820-05:00

I'm reading this book by Rick Riordan. He writes fictional mysteries set in San Antonio. The main character is a P.I. who knows Tae Kwan Do, has a sword over the bathroom toilet and a cat that eats chips and tuna and enchiladas. One of the characters is a bad-ass dude who has a .357 magnum named "Mr. Subtle". This cracks me up. Well, I've been absent a while because I've been busy and the

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1084722598342476172004-05-16T10:43:00.000-05:002004-05-16T10:49:58.343-05:00

It's not what you think, family members. I am retiring the 1995 Saturn SL1 and trading it in for a Saturn ION-1!! I pick it up on Tuesday and will post a picture of it when I get home. In the meanwhile, you can look at Saturn's ION-1 site to see what it looks like. Mine is Silver Nickel-colored. Hooray for a new vehicle! You gotta love Saturn. They sent a $1000 buyer incentive, gave me 0%

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1083683645152352952004-05-04T10:12:00.000-05:002004-05-04T10:19:08.106-05:00

Make it stop!!! The ringing in my ears has gone on for two days now. Now I know what my brother is going through every day of his life. Send him sympathy. Ringing in the ears sucks, even if it's temporary.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1083683323832323772004-05-04T09:55:00.000-05:002004-05-04T10:14:37.856-05:00

Amoxicillin is my hero. On Monday morning I woke up with a pounding pain in my left ear, compounding the stuffy-headedness and raspy voice I had on Sunday. After working (stubbornly) for 3 hours I went to the Texas Med Clinic and it turns out I have an ear infection. The burst blood vessel on the ear drum was a bonus. I hadn't had too much trouble with the sinuses, but as I left the clinic, I

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1083084638668510652004-04-27T11:33:00.000-05:002004-04-27T11:54:53.420-05:00

Today, pain is much better. I had been worried during Pilates that I would be in a lot of pain, but it actually went away during the workout. I am quite aware of my energy centers as I strengthen the abs. I realize I carry a lot of tension in my hips / hip flexors. I realized this because as I activate the abs more, I use the hips less, especially for walking. So, they become sore yet more

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1082996931285865362004-04-26T11:20:00.000-05:002004-04-26T11:33:04.153-05:00

Everyone knows that the name of the center of our galaxy is really Steve (see http://www.in-c.blogspot.com/ for details. Steve floats in space--which is astonishingly vast; so vast in fact as to be nearly incomprehensible and those who comprehend it have yet to prove it's disturbing vastness. Space is made up of a whole lot of stuff, but is mostly, well, space. Emptiness with thin molecules of

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1082995770566425412004-04-26T10:47:00.000-05:002004-04-26T11:19:26.046-05:00

This is my pain scale, where 1 = no pain and 10 = excruciating. It was a tough week. I am addressing issues related to beliefs and physical pain, now. You see, I started taking a Pilates class down the street at the urging of the instructor. Pilates is about strength from within then extending out. This translates into working with your core energy a lot. It all begins with the abdominals.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1082394433320243562004-04-19T11:54:00.000-05:002004-04-19T12:11:16.936-05:00

Woooo it's been a long time since I posted. What's been going on, you ask? I shaved my head to about 1/4" of hair. And, I have a goatee now. My summer hair-do. After all, it's in the 80s here in Texas already. It's going to be a hot summer. I just gave birth to a 4500 word, 21-page final paper for my SQL for Business class. It hurt coming out but promises to be a brain-child genius that gets

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1081218505524644582004-04-05T21:12:00.000-05:002004-04-05T21:32:10.110-05:00

Oh man. I recently rekindled my love affair with pop-tarts. They are so good. Just not good for me. Nothing can make me turn my thoughts from polyunsaturated fats, white flour, sugar, and triglycerides like pop-tarts. I am genetically predisposed to them. They are part of my biology. They are the nourishment of my psyche. Oh, the Pop-Tart. You are me and I am you. Soul mates. I like the cherry

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1081192220329644022004-04-05T13:56:00.000-05:002004-04-05T14:14:04.780-05:00

I should write something, but I don't want to. Or, more accurately, nothing comes to mind. You may notice this is a theme with me. Apparently I am working on balance. This may not be entirely clear, so let me explain. I have a belief that balance is good. I don't mean the 'you'll fall over if you don't balance' inner-ear sort of balance, although it can play in. No, good and patient reader, I

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1080798591736465152004-03-31T23:23:00.000-06:002004-03-31T23:57:51.856-06:00

It's been a hella long day and I am attempting to recover some of the thoughts I had during the day that were like "hey these would be great blog topics. I should blog right now but dammit I have to go to a meeting". Needless to say I am still working on the XSL FO project and adding PDF requirements to boot. This should mean nothing to most readers. If you do understand it you are sick man,

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1080609153907430062004-03-29T19:01:00.000-06:002004-03-29T19:22:35.140-06:00

Think about it. There's a force in the universe that we are coming into contact with. It's just a force, neither positive or negative. It's perceived negative by many. It's the force that makes us do things very quickly. It's the force that makes us sure we don't have enough time to get "it" all done in, that we can't control, that controls us with malicious exhaustive intent. I call this force

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1080576482068521252004-03-29T10:02:00.000-06:002004-03-29T10:11:36.700-06:00

If only I believed in coincidences. Here's an article that just popped up on my news alert about muscle stretching. ==================== WOAI-TV Updated: 8:05 p.m. ET March 28, 2004March 28, 2004 - People who stretched are no more or less likely to suffer injuries such as pulled muscles, which the increased flexibility that results from stretching is supposed to prevent. By IRA DREYFUSS,

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-108057573303304672004-03-29T09:32:00.000-06:002004-03-29T10:03:20.246-06:00

It was actually a busy weekend for once. Ha ha for once! On Friday night, after restless late-night Internet wandering, I had an epiphany about my back injuries. I remember from the original injury way back in 1991 that the doctor said I injured my Lumbar muscles. After looking around I discovered there's a muscle specifically called quadratus lumborum. This muscle attaches the hip to the 12th

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1080248331795680472004-03-25T14:56:00.000-06:002004-03-25T15:02:20.530-06:00

See, yesterday was about nothing. Today is about something. Trouble is I have no inspiration at the moment and who wants to read about me trying to think of something to write just to fill out pages of a weblog? Creativity, it seems, is fickle. I believe they call this writer's block. All that is here for me to think about is inanities and nonsense. I think you get the point by now. Perhaps

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1080101050240717592004-03-23T22:03:00.000-06:002004-03-23T22:07:37.390-06:00

Absolutely nothing. More on this tomorrow.

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1079696880146328092004-03-19T05:10:00.000-06:002004-03-19T05:51:20.280-06:00

I just woke up from a dream where my grandfather was alive and standing without the aid of a cane, walker or wheelchair. He showed up at the door of a conference room at work, one hand in one pocket, tall (I'd forgotten he was) and distinguished looking. I burst into tears of relief / grief in the dream and I remember marvelling at the sensation within the dream. I was not experiencing grief per

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-107963981227307832004-03-18T13:45:00.000-06:002004-03-18T14:00:12.186-06:00

I turned my taxes over to our Tax Attorney on Monday. I can't stand taxes. Pardon the anti-government brief rant, but it's my right to bitch about taxes as an American citizen. I am sure I am taxed for that right. It seems weird to me that we should have to pay this much tax on something the government had no hand in. The government didn't help me with anything this year, and so they are

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1079126641753243512004-03-12T14:59:00.000-06:002004-03-12T15:27:13.186-06:00

I have absolutely nothing to write about right now. I've started 3 blog posts, each of which I have deleted because they were stupid. This is the effect of my current sugar coma. I don't drink many carbonated drinks but today a cherry Coke looked particularly tasty so I drank the whole thing. Now, I am stuck under the insulin haze of the afternoon and 2.5 servings of Coke and 3 oatmeal cookies (I

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1078894585474979222004-03-09T22:41:00.000-06:002004-03-09T22:59:32.763-06:00

I received an astounding 180 e-mails today, all filled with delicious spam-poetry madness. 5 of the 180 e-mails were important to me. Blessed be my spam-filter software. I love you. I really do. It's kind of funny to watch spam evolve, as spammers get more familiar at tricking the various filter software out there. They start using more common words in the "from" area. For example, I receive

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1078760593091130862004-03-08T09:30:00.000-06:002004-03-08T09:46:18.450-06:00

It's that magic time on Monday. Time for a jolt of caffeine. Don't forget your assault weapons. *Note: To any agencies or persons monitoring this blog, my reference to assault weapons is purely comical in nature, intended to convey in exaggerated fashion the sense of dislocation that Monday brings. It is in no way intended to convey that I am a murderous terrorist, bent on the destruction of

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1078528599969172432004-03-05T17:13:00.000-06:002004-03-05T17:20:15.046-06:00

It's that magic time on Friday. Time for a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster. Don't forget your towel. ----------------------------------------- How to create a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster: The effect of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. 1) Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol' Janx Spirit. 2) Pour into it

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1078517985145860532004-03-05T14:03:00.000-06:002004-03-05T14:22:47.030-06:00

Many people I know are observing Lent right now. This, for them, is a time of self-reflection, recognition of repentance, and restriction. I've decided to observe an Umbilicus holiday (the first one) called "Lint". Lint is about cleansing, unblocking the ways of nourishment, and the creation of divine mysterious objects. I'll explain. First, cleansing is important because otherwise your

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1078415902632863572004-03-04T09:50:00.000-06:002004-03-04T10:03:01.873-06:00

Today, this morning, I accomplished the impossible: I cleaned my desk off at work. It's totally clutter free, bright and shiny. Please appreciate this moment to the fullest extent possible. Spring cleaning came early this year... I've also been creating a space in my home office for more creative, leisurely endeavors, replacing the Borg-like appearance of computers, cables, devices, intimidating

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1078155025850746982004-03-01T09:09:00.000-06:002004-03-01T09:33:21.716-06:00

This was supposed to be the first post. Alas, I have been "off" the last few weeks. I think about the quirky things people get known for. Aside from my quirky mind, I am known for my tea. You see, I drink tea made from whole leaf. Yes, at work -- as nuts as that is. Instead of mindlessly droning out to the coffee machine (ok, sometimes I mindlessly drone out to the coffee machine) I do the whole

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1077812906426961862004-02-26T10:27:00.000-06:002004-02-26T10:31:16.996-06:00

I republished the blog to the blog*spot site so the dates for my original posts are wrong. Deal with the change, ok?

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1077812759502509062004-02-26T10:25:00.001-06:002004-02-26T10:28:50.110-06:00

Yesterday was a very bad day. It was about change management. Not that change management is bad, mind you. But, there is a lot of shifting going on. I started with a dream of a co-worker dying. He has cancer in waking-life and all options has failed. Despite his eternal optimism, the end may be near and I woke up early to the sounds of sirens, cat noise, and imagery of me writing a sad, useless

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538961.post-1077812720994147572004-02-26T10:25:00.000-06:002004-02-26T10:28:11.606-06:00

I'm learning a computer language today. For some reason, it's easy to forget that a computer language is just like learning an audible language, like Spanish or French. I realized, living in San Antonio now for 18 years that I should probably learn Spanish, and am looking at a very beginners course. In the mean time, I am learning XML, a structured computer language used for transferring

Michael Friedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03143826636324353236noreply@blogger.com0