at work

There’s kind of a lull at the moment at work, so I’m writing this in the office. I actually DON’T have anything better to do in case you’re wondering. When I’m not doing training, my job pretty much consists of being a “gopher” – “Go for this, go for that”. I do some administrative stuff, some operations stuff, some travel stuff. I just got done checking the box scores for last night’s NBA games. Good job, Celtics once again. It’s kind of scary to see a team as talented as they are only barely squeak by a perennially weak and underachieving team like the Bobcats. I think underachieving is a good term for them. Charlotte has a lot of talent, but just can’t seem to put it together. I think they’re just trying to discover their style; trying to discover the best way for them to play together. On the same token, I see a lot of teams in the NBA that are “underachievers”. As much as I’d like to be, I am not a sports columnist… maybe someday, but not now. So, carrying on with my usual self –

Yesterday at dinner I met my cousin (-in-law?), Rob Crotty. We spoke for a little while. He actually kind of surprised me when he came up to me and asked if my first name was Corey. I didn’t realize it was him at first, all I saw was the silver bar indicating his commission. Of course, I responded appropriately, and then toned down a little once there was some recognition. Rob seems like a good guy. I’m sure I’ll get responses: “Of course he’s a good guy”. I don’t mean it like I’m surprised he’s a good guy, it just makes me happy to meet a good and happy person out here. A lot of the time we only see the sour and begrudgingly happy faces. Rob had an authentic smile, like he was genuinely pleased to meet me. I hope I came across the same way. I hope I don’t have a false attitude that I’m not aware of. One more item of note in our encounter… he’s tall! I slouch quite a bit now, but I take some pride in being one of the taller (if not the tallest) member of our family. I wonder if he’s taller than me. In any case my friend, Jamie, saw Kaeleb not too long ago and said that “he’s going to be the next Paul Bunyon”. He said the kid is absolutely gigantic. So I think we can bank on Kael being tall also – maybe taller than me.

Good things seem to happen in bunches for me. Yesterday I also got a package from my Aunt Julia and Uncle Jim. I’ve already talked about how much of an NBA fan I am, so I’ll go ahead and throw out the fact that the best gift I’ve received yet has been a Golden State Warriors opening night T-shirt. I think these could only have been received at the game itself so it’s really something amazing. Thank you for all the books also; a couple of those are exactly what I’ve been looking for – history that won’t put me to sleep. I also received a Thanksgiving card from my Grandma in Omaha, and it’s very nice to hear what’s happening back in the motherland. I only hear bits and pieces of what’s going on in everybody’s lives through brief conversations with my parents (who I only call about once or twice a month). Does everybody want to live in secrecy?! I’m proud of what I do, so I want to tell you about it. I hope that didn’t come across as arrogance, but you’ll never tell me anyway. I don’t want to keep tabs on everyone, but we’ve all got such large families that updates on the ins-and-outs of daily life are often lost or downplayed in the fray. I guess what I’m getting at is: talk to each other, and let people know how you’re doing. Or just be lazy like me and write a blog so you only have to tell your story once, and everyone can hear it at their own pace. Wow, I am lazy. Or my communication skills have gone down hill faster than I thought.

In a short and concise response to a comment asking what my usual or typical meals are like: Bountiful yet plain. Isn’t that the same slogan as Hooter’s? I know it’s not, but I tried. The variety of food served at every meal, spare breakfast, is terrific. For breakfast we can get eggs scrambled or as an omelet with many different additions such as ham, cheese, mushroom, peppers, and onions. There is always oatmeal or grits. Pancakes or french toast is always served. Finally, the coffee is hardly tasty, but always blistering hot. My mouth has turned into asbestos in an adaptive effort to ignore the pain. Consequently, I think the coffee tastes okay now. Lunch and dinner are always and yet - never the same. Which translates into: the food comes in different shapes and sizes, but the variety is served on a regular rotation, so there’s never any pleasant surprises. I usually nap in lieu of lunch. Every Friday they have steak, shrimp, scallops, and crab legs. I’ve only eaten the steak once. Everybody told me that the food out here was good. It WAS good, and then I got used to it. Now I crave some of Jen’s macaroni and teriyaki tuna steaks more than ever. Whenever you guys come see us when you get a chance, I’ll bribe her to make it for you. I haven’t eaten any chicken yet. I stopped eating chicken for some odd reason some equally odd number of years ago. It wasn’t until I was married that Jen made some chicken that I ate. No reason for me not to like it… probably the same non-reason that I don’t like chocolate. I just don’t. Of course there is free Baskin Robbins ice cream and cookies out here, but I don’t eat ice cream either. I did for about a month when I first got here, but then suddenly realized that it’s too sweet for my tastes.

Alright, that’s enough for now, I should get back to “work”.

-C