Summer classes have made me a busy man and thus I have not posted in quite a while. The marketing capstone class is not as bad as I had envisioned but it still keeps me on my toes. Graduation is closing in...only a month and a half of college courses until I get that fancy piece of paper that says I'm a person of "higher learning". Joy.

Even though I haven't graduated yet, after multiple interviews and constant phone calls back and forth I landed a salary position at Humana. Start date is July 7th. Soon my life as a true yuppie will begin. I suppose I'll develop an addiction to coffee and start buying useless trinkets to adorn my apartment that reflect me as a person. The catalog scene in Fight Club comes to mind. The excess disposable income will be a welcome change though. Never in my life have I been blessed with money that I can throw anywhere I want just for my amusement. The only downside to all this is that I'll actually have to do "real" work. Hopefully my life doesn't spiral downward into a constant Office Space scenario.

One of the funniest lines in Office Space: "I'm gonna show her my O-face. Oh, oh, oh! You know what I'm talkin' about."

The Interview

Nagging thought of the morning: I need some coffee if I'm going to make it through work and my 5:30 - 8:15 capstone class.

I had my interview with Humana yesterday. I'm not a person to join the camp which says that you need to have prepared statements for every possible interview question. In fact, I find this to be fake and somewhat disingenuous. Answering things on the fly can be scary due to the ambiguity of the situation, but I find it to be honest and easier.

The first mistake I made was not dry-cleaning my suit ahead of time like I had planned. I was supposed to go to the dry-cleaner on Saturday morning but due to a lingering hangover due to a trip to 4th street I was unable to complete this quest. Dry-cleaners are not open on Sundays, fyi.

I found my backup suit and managed to make it look presentable and actually tied my own tie on the 2nd attempt without consulting youtube. I never went to church as a child so wearing a tie is a rarity for me. Props to youtube btw, you can find instructional videos on almost any subject.

Driving downtown is somewhat stressful. Not only is it relatively unfamiliar to me, but the traffic is generally terrible and parking is even worse. Once I actually managed to get to the corporate office I found myself intimidated by the swarm of men in fancy suits with luggage and the ornate nature of the building itself.

The first portion of the interview was with 2 managers with the dept. Those went very well and I felt 99% confident that I got the job. But then I interviewed the overall director who looked like he hadn't slept in 3 weeks. He never smiled once and seemed displeased to be there. I have no idea if he thought I was qualified or not because he looked so pissed off. So it goes.

It's starting to rain. Time to publish this sucker.

Le Hodge

Life Goes On

The post-college realization is starting to seep into my mind and I must admit that it's not as pleasing as I would have liked. I haven't "officially" graduated since I have 3 summer classes left. But I'm a mere 2 months from academic freedom.

Just thinking about the last 4 years of my life is bitter-sweet. I would gladly redo them all over again, but a time-machine is not available it seems. Thousands of memories are recalled in the blink of an eye and flood my senses as if a giant wave crashes upon the shore of the here and now. I've met thousands of people, been to hundreds of houses for parties, stayed up late doing projects that should have been done weeks in advance, loved and lost, burned and been burned, recoiled from opportunities and taken wild chances.

What have I really learned from all these experiences? A general understanding of the business world? Yes. What do I want out of life? Not really. What makes me happy? Somewhat.

I have a nagging feeling that sitting at a desk from 9 to 5 for the rest of my life wouldn't bring much satisfaction. This has already been discussed with Max who will likely start his own international photography magazine and might want to include me as a partner. I suppose that what I truly want is a career that allows me to change the world and to do something that allows me to find inner-peace. As for what that is...we shall find out in good time.

And now for some lyrics that relate oh so well.
--- Favorite lyrics of the day ---
Memories are bittersweet
The good times we can't repeat
Those days are gone and we can never get them back

Now we must move ahead (woah-oh)
Despite our fear and dread (woah-oh)
We're all just wishing we could stop,
but Life goes on

Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page
Time rolls on

Wipe your eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries
- "Can't Repeat" - The Offspring

---

Hodge Out

Memorial Weekend Approaches

A lovely Thursday morning is upon us and here I am sitting in this industrial office. Indiana Jones comes out today, so that's a highlight. I plan on seeing that once I get off work.

Not sure what I'll be doing with my extended weekend. I know that Deale wants to go to a bar (for once) so I'll have to take advantage of that opportunity. Playing wingman for a ghey would be a new experience. Hopefully these gheys have attractive (and heterosexual) female accomplices for my own amusement while Deale flirts away with those man-sluts. It'll make for an interesting time I'm sure.

I have the option of going to Kyle's farm on Saturday but I'm not sure if I want to go. Turnout will be low as always I'm certain. Wasting a Saturday out in BFE to fish and jack around isn't as appealing now as it was when I was under 21 and unable to take part in the Louisville nightlife. Gas is also hella-expensive. Hm...we'll see as the days progress.

Went to the Book and Music Exchange on Bardstown yesterday. A very neat place, with books laying everywhere. It feels like a treasure hunt because the books are only somewhat categorized. For example, I found a book in a box laying next to the mystery section entitled, "Why I Am Not A Christian"...by one of my fav authors Bertrand Russell. Picked that up instantly. Also bought one of Carl Sagan's collections, a notable astronomer and non-believer.

Anyways, I have work to do. Not really...waiting for I can bail out and go to see Dr. Jones. Peace out.

Le Hodge

Derby Madness

It's that time of year again.

That time of year when I'm forced to hang out with my family for a few hours and watch horse races in a sober and somber state. This year I have the option of actually going to the Derby...but that would be madness. The Derby in-field has a reputation for being full of crazies who drink into the point of oblivion. This sounds like the crowd I usually hang out with, but since there will be old redneck drunks I'm sure the crowd will be less savory than I'd like. It's also incredibly expensive. As in, $50 to get in and $5 per beer. That money could be better spent getting me wildly (and much more safely) intoxicated at any local establishment. In fact, I may do so unless a better plan arises.

Cheers from the land of horses,

Le Hodge

Return from hiatus...

Graduation...we're getting closer. It's hard to believe that college is drawing to an end. 4 years...where have they gone? I don't feel much different to be honest. Less optimistic perhaps, since I'm less ignorant of the world around me and I don't have a mystical college experience lying ahead as I did before. What is there to look forward to? I'm assuming that "real" jobs probably suck since they make movies like "Office Space".

I've been revising my resume frequently and sending out a couple applications here and there. Humana actually called me yesterday and left a voicemail about "an opportunity" they wished to discuss with me. I'd actually like to work there, seeing as how they're headquartered here and the job security is decent. This volatile market makes me worry about finding a job straight out of college with limited experience.

I was going to go to Cinci this weekend to go bar hopping but Evan backed out. I suppose I'm better off staying in town to study. That marketing research final is gonna kill me I'm sure.

Hodge Out

Things I've Learned In The Past 2 Weeks

Here are some random things I've learned in the past 2 weeks now that I'm out living on my own.

1.) Grocery shopping is not much fun...and I have no idea what I'm looking for.
Wandering down the aisles in search of stuff that is both healthy and delicious is a more difficult task than I predicted.

2.) I have no idea how to cook, and I need to learn how to do so.
Soup and yogurt were ok for a while, but those got old quick. I can only eat so much clam chowder before it gets a bit boring. Yesterday I fixed this by cooking eggs and some chicken breasts for the week. Now I need to learn how to make some more advanced dishes to keep up the variety.

3.) A house is never truly clean.
It seems like I'm constantly cleaning and yet the house is always dirty. Having parties on the weekend doesn't help this one bit, and it actually lowers incentive to clean since I know the house will be destroyed by Sunday.

4.) The fact that my Mom always did my laundry and ironed my shirts was under-appreciated.
You don't realize how much time this can consume until no one is there to perform this menial task.

5.) It's not surprising that people become alcoholics when you have a fridge full of beer at all times.
When I open the fridge and there's a ton of beer staring at me, it's quite tempting to grab one rather than get some water or something. If I wasn't on a health kick this might have been a problem.

There are more lessons that I've learned but I'll save them for later.


Hodge Out

Half Conscious

I'm amazed that I'm even conscious right now. Stayed up far too late celebrating St. Patty's Day. Couple of us went to Shenanigan's and then we played drinking games back at the house. Probably got an hour of sleep or so before I had to get up for work. Can't wait till I can go home and crash hard.

Thought: I need to invest in a hooka sometime this week.

Move-In Status...

So the massive move-in occurred yesterday. Points for William, Evan and my Dad for helping me move all my pointless life-gear. I still lack a bed though (of all things, sheesh). My box spring is about 3 inches too wide for my Dad's Explorer and for the life of me I could not find a person with a truck and some free time. Better luck today then, eh? So it goes.

I stayed up till around 1 am trying to get my room into a semi-manageable state. I don't think I've forgotten anything important and it'll look fine once I have the time to put everything in its place. Also, need to install my Wi-Fi card so I can get connected to the Internet from home. I can see that people are posting on facebook through my emails but I lack the access at the moment.

No rest for the weary.

- Le Hodge

Packed for glory

Most of my room is packed and ready to go.

It's exciting to know that new experiences await, and I'm looking forward to having my own place where I can coordinate my plans for world domination. I'll be moving most of my stuff tomorrow...a chore I wish I didn't have to do. Namely breaking down my bed and reassembling it upon arrival. I've been trying to figure out all the stuff I need to buy/things I should take but I know I'll forget a few things. Such is life.

I hope I get some sleep tonight. Had trouble doing so last night since I let my mind wander for far too long. Hopefully this changeup will bring new light to my life.

A new dawn waits.

- Le Hodge

One of those days...

It's just one of those days. Another winter storm is rolling in to disrupt my usual weekend adventures. My boss even said, "It's gonna be one of those days..." Promptly thereafter I dropped my plate of lasagna that I had been cooking in the microwave, which spills all over the carpet hallway. Damnit to hell. The merch rep whose office is right next to the spill area laughed and said, "I think you're too late for the 5 second rule", which got a chuckle out of me.

In other news, it seems my base of operations is moving to the Bardstown area. Finally. Adam's roomie Zach is leaving for parts unknown so I get to take over his room. It's in prime location for bar hopping and I intend to take full advantage of the location. A bambi walk and a welcoming party are already in the works.

Super Smash bros comes out tomorrow night. Sooo ready. Too bad I don't own a Wii. Maybe I should consider investing in one.

Le Hodge

Let's go where the raptor goes...

Ah, weekends. You're always so nice when you're around, but you always leave the party too soon.

This weekend consisted of more drinking than usual. Enough that I was hungover both Saturday and Sunday morning, but not so much that I did anything stupid that requires apologies.

Friday I got a text from Adam at like 10 pm saying something to the effect of, "A few friends of mine are coming over for a few drinks if you wanna come over." So I finished my round of Team Fortress 2 and headed over with the thought that this was probably just a couple of dudes sitting around sipping on some bud light.

Not the case.

I get over there and proceed to play a thousand rounds of flipcup with somewhere around a dozen people. We empty the whole damn fridge of beer. We had backup beer and went through all that as well. Proctor showed up late out of the blue and we proceeded to win a couple of games of beer pong when I was in "smashed" mode. We pwn everyone at that game.

Saturday I spent the first half of the day hungover and/or playing more video games. I had no motivation to get anything done to be honest. I still did my gym workout (which is kicking my ass right now). My legs hurt in a way that I haven't felt since freshman year of high school when I played football. As for the latter half of the day, I went to see Semi-Pro with some friends. It was good, but not as good as Anchorman.

I then went over to the Lindsay abode to check up on the guitar hero crew. You guys should really center the game around beer pong/flipcup/drinking games of any sort. But I suppose if everyone likes guitar hero that much then it's ok. After that I went to Josh's for some pre-drinkage. I must say that Josh has the cutest baby beagle I've ever seen.

Then onward to the Electric Cowboy.

That place was packed. A few vodka shots and beers later I'm on the dance floor with assorted females.

The most curious bit was when I went to get a beer and got literally blocked off by some chick who then asked me to dance with her friend (who was obviously shy and blushed).
There are a few things that are wrong with this situation.
1.) If you're going to ask some random guy to dance with your friend, you'd better be somewhat attractive yourself. It's the power of reference. If a hot chick asks me to do something then I'm going to more prone to doing so than if some south-end redneck with a bad attitude asks me.
2.) I loathe the grinding associated with modern dancing. I'll still do it, provided I'm drunk. Conversely, I love to slow-dance, and I'd probably do that with almost anyone who asks me.
3.) You're preventing me from getting a beer by standing in my way. Time is ticking, and I could be dead sober at any moment. Make haste.

Needless to say, I just said "I'm sorry", smiled and walked around her. I felt a little bad, flattered and perplexed at the same time. I should have made some excuse like, "My girlfriend is waiting for me." but I was caught flat on my feet and I'm not a very good liar.

Such is life.

Hodge Out

New Workout Routine

Starting tomorrow I'm going to attempt a revamped split routine at the gym. Posting here for criticism/advice.


Monday - Shoulders and Triceps
(4 Sets each for every exercise)

Shoulders
Dumbell Front Raise
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Dumbbell Reverse Fly
Dumbbell Shrugs

Triceps
Lying Tricep Extension
One Arm Cable Extension
One Arm Dumbbell Extension

Tuesday - Back
Close Grip Pull Down
One Arm Dumbbell Row
Bent Over Barbell Row
Wide Grip Pull Down

Thursday - Chest and Biceps

Chest
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Bench Press Incline Dumbbell Flys
Cable Crossovers

Biceps
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Preacher Curl
Standing Hammer Curl

Nader, Gym, Phoenix, etc.

Just found out that Nader is running for president again. If he hands the Republicans another victory I'm going to be royally pissed off. As long as Obama takes the democratic nomination I think we'll be okay though. He seems like an unstoppable machine right now.

Btw...I went ahead and ordered that phoenix pendant last night. Couldn't resist, it looks too cool.

Gym update:
I've decided that I'm going to make an attempt to intensify my weight-lifting and put less emphasis on cardio. I wish I knew more about lifting, but wandering around the web gives me some idea as to what I need to be doing. Maybe I'll look like Popeye soon.

Not much else to report. Spring break approaches and I'm wondering where I should go to celebrate my continued existence. I thought about NYC but I'd rather just take a road trip to Chicago or Nashville or something of that sort. So it goes.

Hodge Out

Wave of the future

As the Lady Who Wears Too Much Perfume walks by I've realized that I hate how half the people in this office get to leave work early but I do not. It doesn't help that my managers are workaholics. It's not that I don't like working here, it's actually a great job, but it's discouraging to see others sprint to freedom while I'm stuck here. So it goes.

My to-read list is growing ever-larger but I'm not doing all that much reading. I'm about 2/3 of the way through Barack Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" and I plan on finishing that first. I just ordered "On The Road" on Amazon since Jake kept insisting that it would change my life. I'll probably put that next in queue.

I need to quit ordering things on Amazon but it's not like I have anything else to do at work. Net shopping, riding the wave of the future.

Hodge Out

Phoenix Rising

6 days in a row at the gym so far.
I'm 16/20 in terms of days I've gone to the gym out of this month.
I suppose it's a good stress reliever.

For some reason I've started looking into jewelry on Amazon. I suppose I noticed a few other people wearing cool rings and such so I felt left out. I just recently ordered this piece, which I wandered upon by happenstance and fits me very well.
http://www.amazon.com/RELIGIONS-Silver-Pewter-PENDANT-Necklace/dp/B00065G23I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=jewelry&qid=1203601268&sr=8-4

I also really want a pendant or a ring involving a phoenix. The themes of freedom and fire sit well with me. They're also just plain awesome. I'm thinking about this one but there are several I'm considering.
http://www.amazon.com/Azurite-Sterling-Silver-Medallion-Necklace/dp/B000RM12OY/ref=pd_sbs_jw?ie=UTF8&qid=1203600883&sr=1-1

Suggestions?

Hodge Out

Another Friday - Office Introductions

Another Friday and not too much to report. I've decided to introduce a few more characters to you from my office, for no other reason than boredom.

1.) Gay 45 year old guy - I wish you wouldn't look at me with those hungry eyes the way that you do. It reads very plainly and the way that you stare makes me a bit uncomfortable. Nice guy though. Please stop running past my desk to go to the printer. We all know that you can't have that much stuff to print.

2.) The local office wanderer who no one really likes but comes and talks to the guy in the office next to me anyway - You insist on using sports as a way to start a conversation. It has become blaringly obvious that the guy in the office next to me doesn't really like you and has things to do. You wander over every hour or two and look like a lost puppy when he isn't there. Surely there are people to talk to in your office section who don't hate you.

3.) The guy who always smiles and then asks me to do him some kind of favor like scanning some product displays - I don't mind this guy. Actually kind of nice. Would be better if I didn't have to perform any kind of work though.

4.) Chick with glasses who wears way too much perfume - I choke everytime you wander past my desk. It doesn't hit me at first, but once you're about 20 feet behind me I suddenly can't breathe. One spray, maybe two, but not fifteen please. She always has a smile on her face. It can be eerie sometimes, but at least she's kind.

These introductions may seem a bit negative, but most of the people in my office are quite cordial. It's these specific quirks that I remember them by.

Hodge Out

That time again

It never fails. On Fridays around the 3:30-4 pm range my boss will email me with some kind of urgent task. Why must he always wait till right before closing time to freak me out and squash any hopes of leaving early? Of course, when your Friday evening is at stake you tend to do the assignment with the mental speed and efficiency of an Einstein-like figure. Now I'm waiting in suspense to see if my boss burdens me with another last-minute task before my departure.

Tonight will be beer pong night with Mister Greene and crew. I absolutely love the competition and lack of sobriety associated with the game. There are few other things that give me greater pleasure than winning game after game while downing cup after cup of liquid bread. Perhaps I sound like a lush, but the rush comes more from the winning than the effects of alcohol.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Hodge Out

My own personal Lou Dobbs (Office Version)

It amazes me how long the woman at the desk about 20 feet behind me can talk on the phone without stopping. It can hardly be anything besides a one-sided conversation, judging by the short pauses between her statements.

I think of her as my own personal Lou Dobbs (Office Version - 2008).

She rants about a range of issues, mostly those that concern the middle class. Talking about everything from immigration to the housing crisis to religion in America. The only bad thing about this is that I no longer like listening to Lou Dobbs complain about the current political system without offering solutions.

She also has the recurring quip that "most people are ignorant". This comes from the woman who is afraid to vote for Obama because his name sounds like "Osama". In fact, she asked while in conversation with a fellow co-worker, "But isn't he, like, Muslim or...? I mean I'm not a racist or anything but..." You get the picture. White, middle-class baby boomer who has supressed most prejudices but still isn't fully open and hip to the progressive era of tolerance and understanding.

Such is life.

Hodge Out

Crunch Time

It never ceases to amaze me that professors all have their tests on the same week. It's almost enough to make one think that they conspire to bring misery down upon the college populace by forcing them to abandon their weekend plans in favor of close inspections of textbooks.

In my case, I'll have 3 tests (one got moved forward) next week, along with a variety of smaller tasks/group projects. Needless to say, my weekend will not be as fun as the last. The fact that the Superbowl is on Sunday doesn't do much for me either. I believe it's written somewhere that you must be watching the Superbowl with a beer in hand in order to affirm your US citizenship.

My logic book is beckoning me.

Hodge Out

10 O'clock Tom Cruise Crazy

It amazes me how much work I can get done around 10 o'clock while I'm "working". I just completed what was supposed to be a "group" project in about an hour. I'm sure my group members will be pleased. It was my good fortune to happen upon this co-op experience in the first place.

At the time that I interviewed for this position I wasn't even looking for a job. A few friends said they were going to a career fair on campus and I joined them for my own amusement. Next thing you know I'm talking to a GE HR rep and I'm being told that I should apply for a certain co-op position. Applied, interview, got ze job.

Wish they would give me a little more work so I wasn't so bored at times. You can only wander the internets for so long before you want to weep from media overexposure.

Oh yeah, and I'm copying that random bold-ing style idea from you. You know who you are.

Hodge Out

Flying Spaghetti Monsters

As an agnostic and humanist I've found it very difficult to find any paraphernalia on the net to show off my ideals. I feel the need to show off my beliefs since everyone seems to be wearing a cross necklace, regardless of their questionable ethics and hypocrisy, which we won't discuss at this time. However, I did find one sight that had an amusing pendant that I'm sure few will even understand.

It's a metal cutout of the Flying Spaghetti Monster...a wiki link has been provided below so you can educate yourselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster

In a nutshell it's a parady of common religion today and it concerns the burden of proof in relation to establishing evidence in favor of gods. Just read the wikipedia intro.

Freethinker bling, ftw.

Hodge Out

Let's go where the raptor goes...

Friday, how I missed you. Oddly enough I haven't heard of any sexy parties or forays to bars as of yet. I wonder how the nights will be spent. Sitting at home on a weekend night never works for me. Watching movies and playing Call of Duty 4 will only take me so far before I get bored and antsy. I'll sit still when I'm old and grey.

Tangent:
I was riding the bus from the stadium to my first class yesterday when I saw one of those semis all tore up by that underpass on Eastern Parkway. During my tenure at Manual and UL I've probably seen half a dozen semis try to go under that thing only to shear off the top of their semi and then cause a major traffic conundrum. Do they not grasp the laws of physics? I wish I had my camera so I could have taken pictures of the damage.

Tangent:
It's amazing how Bad Religion manages to incorporate such an extensive vocabulary into their songs. You would think that it would be impossible to use some of the words they use in songs with any measure of rhythm. This song is stuck in my head ("Beyond Electric Dreams") so I thought I'd share some lyrics.

"Let's go where the raptor goes,
To the mountain in a cosmic glow,
We'll have a genuine terrestrial show, on a mountain - on a mountain
Let's scan the horizon clean for any trace of human schemes
And try to touch upon immortal themes on a mountain - on a mountain"


I hope the weekend treats you all well,
Hodge Out

Miss Gorge

It amazes me how much Miss Gorge can eat. So much in fact that I've given her that nickname. Were my desk not located next to the fridge (random fridges dot this office complex, probably due to the fact that we build them here) I might not have noticed her eating habits. It is guaranteed that every 90 minutes or so she finds something to satisfy her stomach from said fridge, and from her rotund figure I can say that her stomach is satisfied most of the time.

I have nothing against this lady, she is kind to everyone in the hallway, although I must admit that her hour long personal phonecalls that consist of nothing but bitching are a bit annoying (silenced by my headphones).

More than anything I'm concerned for her well-being. A woman of over 50 years of age should not be consuming such a considerable volume of foods that are not even remotely good for you. If she were eating veggies or 100 calories packs every 90 minutes she might very well weigh a hundred pounds less than she does today.

I'll stop ranting now. With so little going on at work today I had a lot of time to observe my dismal surroundings and the behavior patterns of my fellow workers. Such is "work".

Hodge Out

The Annual January Gym Invasion - Damn Sloths

When they say it's peak season in terms of gym memberships they are not lying. When you go to the gym >= 4 days out of a week as I was doing you get a feel for who the regulars are. But now that it's January there is a large influx of those with a smidgen of motivation to work off that fat which we'll presume has been building for several months now.

They take up all those machines that I would normally use and force me to wait a few minutes when I'm doing weights, a slight annoyance. I'm eagerly awaiting that time when these people give up and go back to their sloth-erly ways. And considering that a typical gym membership at Urban is 2 years and you can't even buy yourself out of it shows that the gyms make bank off those poor souls. Why shell out $40 or more a month and not use your membership? No financial sense whatsoever. The reason I joined in the first place was to motivate myself with like-minded individuals and the thought of the money I would be throwing away if I didn't get my butt to the gym.

So it goes.

Disclaimer: This is not intended to be a self-centered article where I actually want those aforementioned "sloths" to fail. I wish them success but the realist in me knows that most will fail. It's pure statistics, sadly. This was more of a rambling, which I do frequently.

Hodge Out

Basketball Is Our Religion

I'm pretty much over that cold now. I feel a bit tired from the fight but my cough has disappeared and I'm very much awake and ready to party.

Rant: It always sickens me when the front page of the CNN website hosts a story about some missing girl or tragic death of a white person. Being of the white variety of humans myself some may think this odd, but I think there are more pressing matters than the loss of a single human being. Surely hundreds of people are being killed or some major political struggle is at hand that deserves media coverage. This is an issue I plan on bitching about today.

Classes have begun but I think I'm lucky considering the limited selection of professors I had to choose from. I have a crazy Indian professor that I've had before (and knew to be terrible) for my market research course. He rants about trivial issues as a means to strike terror into his students and thus elevate our level of attention. The other 4 professors appear to be easy-going and recognize that their courses stand in the way of us and our diplomas. Luckily, the professor in my late thursday night class is a big basketball fan and has already said he will cut a few sessions short so we can watch the games.
Basketball is the common religion of the Kentucky populace.

Hodge Out

Daily Visitors

Everyday at the office I see the same people performing their daily routines. I thought I might list them for no particular reason.

9 am - The mexican janitor comes by the hall and goes room to room. Almost every person greets her and they have a polite conversation, although the talk is always light and simple due to her lack of vocabulary. Sometimes she sings mexican folk songs in the hallway, although never very loudly.

2 pm - A lady (I have yet to procure her name) goes door to door with a dish of candy. Evidently she uses free candy as an excuse to gossip with her office neighbors. Nice.

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm - The secretary about 20 feet away from my desk begins her daily personal calls to whomever will listen. She's one of those women who complain constantly and abuse the company phone bill. At the moment she has half a dozen personal dramas that I'm aware of. If I try hard enough and put my earphones on I can block out her whining.

All throughout the day - Guy from 2 offices down goes and picks up some pages from the printer. How many separate trips does one really need to take in order to get the required papers? Back and forth, back and forth...you're either trying to do some cardio to get your heart rate up or you're unable to multitask. Really I just don't like you buzzing my desk in your haste and sending my papers all over the place. I think I'll start calling you "Maverick".

Time to go to class,
Hodge Out

"Oh, so tired of being sick..."

Realized that I was sick on Sunday night but I feel 100x better today than yesterday. The lack of hot flashes helps quite a bit.

Classes have begun anew and this semester looks to be a little more difficult than previous ones. I expected as much seeing as how I only have a few classes left to take before I get my degree. Hopefully I'll grab the motivation to finish without falling on my face.

Started watching the "Lost" series since Josh and Kyle seem to enjoy it. Not nearly as good as Heroes, BSG or The Office but it's slightly captivating. Also, downloading "Dexter" due to a recommendation by Claire.

The New Hampshire primary is today, w00t w00t. We'll see if Obama crushes Hillary once again. Barack, ftw!

Hodge Out

Down with the sickness...

I think I got the cold that's going around. I knew it was coming yesterday, I spent most of the day in bed watching "Lost". Not a good day to be sick since school is starting.

Symptoms: Pounding headache, overall weak feeling, hot flashes, coughing, etc.

Last night I kept waking up due to hot flashes. I'm falling asleep in my chair at work right now...not sure how long I'll be able to hold up through my classes.

So it goes.

Hodge Out

Office Intrigue

'Tis funny to watch the drama of the people in this near-endless hall of offices. The hall itself stretches a good 1/8 of a mile long and hosts dozens of (what I assume) are well-paid merchandising and pricing managers.

A continuous battle rages as merchandising teams try to sell as much as they can and make calls to managers "in the field" to do so. Pricing managers (whom I work for) are concerned with bottom-line profit and are always trying to raise or keep pricing the same. The war lies in the desires of "merchies" to sell more (by lowering prices) and the efforts of pricing managers to keep the prices elevated. Merchies and pricing managers smile in each other's presence, but as soon as the merchies get back to their own offices I can hear a litany of curses and profanity. I'm certain that few of them know that I work for the pricing team or else they wouldn't be be using such language.

Amusing, to be sure.

I can't wait till I have my own office to use as a dumping ground for curses against my fellow colleagues.

Cheers,
Le Hodge

Obamanama

Took another political test today. I'm closest to Obama, go figure.

http://www.electoralcompass.com/

A new year, a new dawn

New Years went as one could expect, going from party to party and taking vodka shots in the company of friends. Started off at Ryan's for some low-key chatter and moved on to Collin/Hassan's to bring in the New Year with beer pong and the like. Ended up at Nikolai's for some Grey Goose and then a trip to Steak 'n Shake at 4 am. I would hate to be working on New Years at 4 am, I feel for those guys.

Lesson learned:
- 90% of dark liquors taste terrible, even those trumpeted by rappers. Evan and I both bought some cognac, with the idea that at least one of them would taste ok. Wrong. I was very unimpressed by Hennessy, which by all advertised means should taste like the nectar of the gods. So it goes. I'll just stick to Disaronno for sipping purposes I suppose.

New Years Resolution:
- I resolve to find a resolution. I don't think I've ever had a "serious" resolution, or at least one that I could possible keep. Why start now?

Tangent:
I need to stop going into book stores. I end up buying books that I don't make time to read and they end up on my table or in my bookshelf.
I'm currently attempting to read a few books at the moment:
"Audacity of Hope" - Barack Obama
"Knife of Dreams" - Robert Jordan
"I Am America" - Stephen Colbert
"Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson" - TJ

Current Addiction:
"Call of Duty 4" - The online achievements make this game very addictive. The only things I don't like are the lack of microphone usage and squad play. Everyone does their own thing rather than coordinating their efforts like with the Battlefield and Day of Defeat series.

Everyone is back at the office today. I wish they would sit down and stop wishing each other a happy new year. Get back to work slaves. Speaking of which, I need to do something productive.

Hodge Out