What I’ve been up to
Well, I’ve got two excuses as to why I’ve been sparse around these parts lately. And only one of them is a good excuse. But I’ll give you both anyway.
First, the good excuse. Last week I had the privilege of helping document a very unique and special program we had at work, the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. A very long name for a very good program.
Basically, the program brought seventeen disabled veterans to College Station for a week of intensive coursework and training so they can ultimately set up their own small businesses. When they weren’t spending 13-hour days in the classroom, they had the opportunity to visit a winery, meet the governor and learn about A&M’s military traditions.
The week was capped off with business plan presentations by all of the participants and a very formal dinner at the closing ceremony. The governor was at the dinner as well, handing out the certificates to all of the participants.
I had the pleasure of serving as the “unofficial official photographer” for the week, following the group around and capturing just about everything I could. I ended up taking almost 2,100 photos (and keeping less than 400) over the course of the week. For those of you who can access Flickr, I highly suggest looking through the gallery I’ve posted online for the school.
So it was a very good week, but also a very busy one. I was once again working those weirdo hours that I used to when I was in the newspaper game. I saw my family for just a few minutes in each morning for most of the week. In fact, I even missed “Meet the Teacher Night” at The Boy’s school.
Doing all that last week means that I’m behind in my normal duties at work this week – the first week of the fall semester (which is always a small series of crises anyway). So really I’ve been pretty busy during the day and then some for the past two weeks.
Damn you Olympics, damn you DNC
Which leads to the second, not-so-good excuse: television. When I did manage to get home, I didn’t really feel like firing up the laptop and spending a half-hour writing something here. Plus, with the final week of the Olympics in full swing, I had plenty of mindless television to veg out to on the couch.
I watched more team handball than any rational person should. I can identify most of the people on the U.S men’s indoor volleyball team. I can name the events which make up the modern pentathlon. Hell, I even stayed up until 1:30 in the morning one night watching two hours of women’s race walking.
And then, when the Olympics came to their inevitable (and lackluster) conclusion on Sunday night, the Democrats stepped in with their convention the following evening. For an unabashed political junkie like myself, conventions are like four days of Christmas. So I watched as much coverage of the DNC as I could this week. Next week, I’ll probably do the same for the Republicans’ little get-together as well.
Those two factors – work during the day and the need to relax at night – add up to no posts here. So now you know.
Fries at the bottom of the bag
- The Girl has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR teeth coming in at the moment. That’s what I call aggressive expansion.
- She’s also discovered that it’s fun to play with her brother’s computer. And push around her shopping cart. And put things on her head.
- Apparently Google thinks I speak Japanese. Or at least I should be getting my ads in Japanese.
- Speaking of ads, this ad for Freebirds is probably the lamest thing I’ve ever seen. My five-year old could come up with a better ad campaign than that.
- Ah, those crazy web folks at CNN. Now they’re inventing new battleground states for this year’s election.
That IS the lamest ad campaign I have ever seen. Wow.
All girls need to know how to push a shopping cart!! It’s like part of our DNA or something!!!!
Next you’ll see “Freebirds…ur doin’ it rong” and a picture of someone eating one from the side or something.
race walking is the funniest thing I’ve seen in quite a while, I know its different from jogging and they haul ass, but its bizarre…
What CNN may lack in grammatical and spelling talent, they more than make up for in gray-haired hotness. My men Anderson and Wolf kept wearing the same suit and tie. It was pretty cute.
I also want to add that I have also been geekily (yeah, I can make up words, too) glued to the conventions, but practically have to sedate myself to watch the GOP. It’s not good for my blood pressure.