I do NOT direct traffic at the Grandview Triangle...

"So what do you do at your new job ah?"... "Well, I'm a Traffic Supervisor" *Silence* "So, is that like anything to do with directing traffic at the intersections so that we get to work on time?" *Sarcastically* "Yep! They gave me a White half-shell helmet, and a pair of white gloves on my first day! ; Then they asked me to get on this little scooter...."
So, no. My new job does not, and probably will never involve physically directing automobile traffic either at the Grandview Triangle, or at the Mur-len & 147th St!

"So...what is it that you really do?", so people have asked me... Well, for the last 2 weeks at least, I have found being a supervisor in general involves LOTS and LOTs and LOTS of meetings! I've been to more meetings in the last 2 weeks than I have ever been to in the last 6 months! Yeah...and I have to start reminding people about admin stuff, like mandatory training etc. So, I think before long... I'll need to walk by with my coffee cup, and ask people about "coversheets"... BTW, Yeesin has FORBIDDEN me to wear two-toned shirts, the ones with the collar a different color than the rest of the shirt! "YEAH....I need you to go ahead and come in on Saturday....."

Seriously though, its a nice career change for me. Instead of only worrying about getting my own stuff done, I need to think about a group of people. Have to resist the urge to jump-in, and take care of it myself... Its a different way of getting things done, but it is waay busier than I expected. Definitely a LOT more paperwork than I expected too! Most of my time (outside of meetings) is spent documenting action-items, working on long-term stuff for the team as a whole, reporting...the list goes on. I'm beginning to appreciate how busy my ex-managers used to be... PLUS, I'm wondering if paperwork duties propagate upwards and increases in quantity as we go up in the management chain... Probably the only guy that doesn't do lots of paperwork is the guy on TOP of the org chart!!??

The best free purchase ever...

Its 5 pm in the evening on another lazy Sunday. We just got back from Wal-mart where we got some nice Petunia's which Yeesin planted while I was working on some lawn chairs which we picked up from a Garage Sale last week.
It was the best "free" purchase ever; the chairs happened to match our existing lawn furniture, and they lean back far enough that we can just fall asleep if we close our eyes long enough...Except for the fact that the chairs were broken at the top-joint were the previous owners leaned a little too hard on it. So I took it upon myself to rectify the situation with a little hardware from my trusty old toolbox. 2 little nuts and bolts later...
A little ghetto, but we DO live on the "other" side of I-35... so maybe its appropriate.... Hey... thats what happens when its a slow weekend for us !!!

Moving On...

My boxes are packed,my old cube is cleaned,and i have said my goodbyes.on monday i will be starting my new job at another part of the company...i let myself leave work early today...doubt anything can
get done with all these boxes in the way!

Happy 3rd Anniversary !!!

Yes. Its been 3 years Yeesin & I have been married! It was today 3 years ago, that we said our vows during our Garden Wedding at the Overland Park Arboretum with our friends and family. I'd like to take a moment here to put down some thoughts on what these 3 years mean to me...

Our first year we found that sometimes love needs to be put to the test when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma barely 6 months after we were married. We had a rough time that year, but the help of friends and family, we made it! Our second year had me blessed with health, and gave us time to reflect the on more important things in life.
I don't believe that there's anything cooler in the world than silently lifting off hand-in-hand in a Hot Air Balloon on a crisp Sunday morning in Napa Valley! For this third year, we hope to carry on the great time that we have had, but not to forget the hard-times so that we can keep our lives in perspective...

So thanks my love, for:
(1) For being my hard-drive, helping me match names to faces, so that I don't mistakenly call my opposite neighbor Justin - by Steve, or Kevin, or Bob.
(2) For putting up with me leaving the clothes on the floor, leaving the cabinet doors open, forgetting to lift the toilet bowl lid, etc... (Basically living like a suburban barbarian)
(3) For being the voice of reason. She's why I don't blow 5k on a Plasma TV, or change a new car every year! Without her, we'd be broke. ;)
(4) For being my best friend & the love of my Life. For always hearing my opinions, sharing our secrets, my best friend to spend lazy summer evenings snuggling on our hammock in the backyard; For holding my hand, telling me that everything is going to be alright, my pillar of strengh when I needed someone the most.














So, baby... HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY!!!
You're still stuck with me... ;)

Birthday @ Niagara Falls

Drove back from Niagara-On-the-Lake to the Canadian side of the Falls the next day. The Canadian Govt was nice enough to declare Victoria day on the same day as my birthday, so as part of my "present" we had to fight lots of traffic as well around the Falls area! Checked into the Ramada @ Konica/Minolta Tower at around lunch, and managed to SCORE the highest floor on that hotel, and Check out this spectacular view from our room of both the American Falls & the Canadian one! Its a really small hotel, shaped like a dixie-cup on top of a cylinder with about 30 rooms in the "cup".

We also booked a tour of the Falls area with another tour company. AND, just like the B&B, we were the only 2 people too! Gotta tell you, we felt like VIP's being shuttled around with almost empty tour van, with our guide Shirley right by us, talking up the points of interests! Nothing beats a personal driver+van on an EXTREMELY busy holiday weekend, especially when YOU don't have to worry about parking! Here's a shot of the obligatory Maid-of-the-Mist ride, a huge ferry that brings you close enough to Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian side) to even get a free shower! BTW, that's why we have the really snazzy raincoats on too!

At night, we went up to the Pinacle dining room at our tower, for an excellent dinner with the falls in the background. This picture of the view before sunset doesn't do it justice I think. Its alot more impressive when you're dining and the lights come on at night! Can't believe a huge hole in the ground with water running over it can be so mesmirizing! At the end, I think Yeesin managed to mention to the server that it was my Birthday! So, I got a very nice ice-cream cake with a single candle (to hide my real age).


Somehow she even convinced the Canadian Govt to put on a firework show for me too! (Probably she probably arranged for this Victoria Day to fall on my birthday too!) Actually, our Wedding Anniversary is next week, so I'd argue that the Fireworks was MY idea... so that we could have a romantic dining experience!