A message for my coworkers

To all my coworkers, I'd first like to apologize for my frustration coming out yesterday during the meeting. It wasn't my place to make that sort of statement and my frustration coming out just made it worse. I think part of my frustration stems from the constant barrage of jokes I receive on a daily basis. Everyone knows I can take a joke and I'll play along with it most of the time. I don't mind the height and bald jokes; it's all in good fun and I get a kick out of it. There are other jokes that do bother me though and that has made it difficult for me to get along with some people. I'd simply like to ask that everyone tone it down a few notches with the jokes and keep them in good taste. And vice versa, if I offend anyone with my jokes, the few that I actually come up with, please let me know. I felt I needed to post this, so please don't start bashing me on it. Thanks for the Facebook venting session.

History/Religion

So I recently changed my degree to History with a concentration in Early European Studies. I am very happy with my decision because now I will get to enjoy more classes pertaining to the areas of history that interest me the most. The Greeks, Romans, and the rise of the Catholic Church are all parts of history that I have always enjoyed. Medieval history is quite interesting because the rise of the Church is such a unique topic. The popes essentially thought they ruled the world and would attempt to remove kings from power if they were not to their liking. Everyone was so religious back then that some of the kings would do anything the pope said. That sort of power definitely does not exist today. While many are still very religious, not nearly as many let religion rule their lives. I doubt popes will ever gain that much power again, especially with the vast number of religions that exist today. I, myself, have begun to question my religion. I still believe in a higher power, but I like facts and the facts tell me that there was a lot of controversy surrounding the rise of Catholicism. They also adopted many traditions of earlier religions, making me wonder if it was all just a ploy to create a separate, dominant religion. Either way, religion itself has been around much longer than the Church, so there must be some sort of higher power. I may question my own religion, but I refuse to think there is nothing to believe in.

Life's Twists and Turns

I have not blogged in a while, but I must say, my life has been nothing short of interesting lately. Last week, the hose to my toilet burst, flooding the center portion of my house. Luckily, I caught it early and nothing needs to be replaced.

My never ending quest to fulfill my need for a soulmate continues. While my life with the pets is fulfilling, the joy of spending my life with someone remains a desire of mine. I am certainly not getting any younger and the thought of a steady relationship is quite appealing. Hopefully, someday soon I will find that special someone.

In other news, Aspen is a couple of weeks into her advanced training at Pet Smart. She did pretty well this weekend, mainly working on her reactions to distractions and other dogs. I am hopeful that, with practice, she will eventually get over her barking at other dogs. Connor is still the old, lazy bum that he has always been. Lois is still a crazy kitty, but stays out of trouble.

I recently noticed that AMU finally started offering concentrations for history majors, so I decided to drop my minor in Intelligence Studies and change my degree to a major in history with a concentration in early European studies. By doing this, I get to take more classes pertaining to ancient and classical history, which are the eras that interest me the most. The change added two classes to my degree, but I will still finish sometime in 2012, hopefully that spring.

Work is work, still get picked on a lot, but it appears people have stopped spreading nasty rumors about me. It was beginning to get rather irritating and childish, but maybe my time on dayshift has proven beneficial, as the majority of the office has begun to see the real me.

Well, it has been fun and I hope to keep everyone more updated in the future. For now though, I bid you all a farewell. By the way, if you have not caught the latest and greatest trailer to Iron Man 2, you must watch it. If trailers are any indication, that movie will be epic! Ciao!

John

Furniture/Art

Well, another long week over with. My promotion test was brutal and I highly doubt I made it. Oh well, there is always next year. I did order a new living room set this week which should be here in 2-3 weeks. It is really nice and will accentuate the other furniture and art very well. I also ordered a couple pieces of art. One is Washington crossing the Delaware; that one will go above the lamp. The other is a nice scenic image that will go above the dining room table. I have really started to get into the art thing lately. There are still several more pieces that I plan on purchasing in the near future. I have basically been trying to turn my house into a more grown up version of me. For the longest time, I have had a lot of hand-me-down items or furniture that I bought when I was first on my own. Now that I am older and realize what type of furniture and art represent me, I am making some changes. I have really enjoyed seeing the gradual transformation of the interior of my house and cannot wait until I have completed it.

Stress Relief

I find that writing stuff down tends to relieve stress. Lately, I have been bogged down by the stress from work and trying to finish my degree. Those that know me well know that I do not venture out on the weekends often. I am often a recluse, spending my weekends at home with my two dogs and cat. It is my time to relax and allows me to forget about the things that cause stress in my life. At the same time though, I have found that maybe going out a little more would be good for me. Take this weekend for example. I had an extremely stressful week at work and decided to go out with some friends last night; drank some beer, watched people do karaoke, and danced to some wonderful country music with beautiful women. I genuinely had a lot of fun and it made me realize that I need to be more sociable with those that I am friends with. So from now on, probably not every weekend, but maybe every other weekend, I plan on going out and enjoying a night with those I consider friends. I think it will be good for me because let's face it, sitting at home by myself is only fun and relaxing for so long.

First Blog

So I'm sitting here creating this blog at a time when I should either be writing a school paper or studying for a promotion. Neither of these things sound appealing to me at the moment, even though my promotion test is on Monday! I am feeling very pessimistic about my chances, as this is my first time taking the test. My paper is only 1000-1200 words which should be no sweat, so I will just wait until tomorrow when it is due. My life is sort of a whirlwind of craziness and monotony lately, so here is to hoping things begin to move in the right direction. Stay tuned for more to come...