It's a gradual process

So I've been trying to teach myself Spanish for a long time now. I've used a combination of Rosetta Stone, a Nintendo DS game, workbooks, watching TV and my newest strategy, subscribing to People in Spanish. I had thought that I wasn't making any progress, but I can pretty much read an entire article in People and understand what it's about. I can't give you a word-for-word translation, but I'm certainly better than I used to be. Here's the problem - I can really only read and write. When I hear people speaking in Spanish, they just talk too fast and I get hung up on what they said three sentences ago. And it still takes me far too long to form a sensible sentence in my head to be able to speak it.

It's progress, though, and as I keep practicing, I'll get there!

A new frontier

Matt and I have decided that our money sitting in a 0% savings account is doing us no good. We have decided to start investing in stocks. Right now, stocks are as low as they've been in years. It seems the perfect time to take some cash and invest. We're going with a fairly safe bet - Microsoft. It's a bit scary, but the potential to make some money is definitely there as well. We'll see how it goes!

When will it end?

What seems like years ago, a story of a missing girl started showing up on the local Orlando news. Every single day since then, I've had to hear about this case. In case you're not sure what I'm referring to, it's the Caylee Anthony case. I am SO sick of hearing about this story. Yes, it's tragic that she was missing and that they found her dead months later. But it's not like this never happens in the world. Unfortunately, this stuff happens often. I'm in Charlotte right now watching the Fox News channel and they're reporting on the story. I really wish they'd stop.

Ungrateful people

It's really hard to keep working hard when the people you're doing it for either don't care or are completely ungrateful. I'm not talking about the company I work for - they're the reason I'm working hard - but instead about a community I'm working at. The first day was ok because the general manager was there and he seemed to really care. But today - when I really worked my butt off - I was left with a couple of managers that really could have cared less. What I was doing entailed going from room to room (over 100 rooms today alone), ripping their call stations off the wall and putting new ones back on. First, it takes a lot of organization to keep everything straight. Second, I've got blisters on my fingers from trying to get these things off the wall. Third, I was on my feet for 8 hours straight and skipped lunch. When I gave them my summary at the end of the day, all I got was complaints. It's frustrating.

To top it off, I received a call about a place I'm supposed to be going to on Saturday. I was informed that they don't plan to give me any help in my task, which means that my day will be similar to today. I told them that I just wouldn't be showing up then. Needless to say, they're helping now.

I'm sure I sound a bit whiny, and I don't need any praise, but it's just hard to work when people don't care nearly as much as you do.

Finally back up

I've been working with my web hosting company for the last week because my site's been down. Looks like I'm back up and running now, though. I'm on the road for the next week. I'm driving up to Charlotte, NC, for work. I could have flown, but it would have taken just as long and cost a lot more between the flight and the rental car. I'm staying in one of those extended stay places and it has a kitchenette and they supply dishes and stuff, so I'll just do a mini-grocery shopping on my way up there and I'll be nice and comfortable.

Laser light shows

There's not much to do in Daytona Beach, not that Matt and I would really do it if they had it to do, anyway. But we (I) have found at least one thing that is fun - laser light shows at the planetarium. Once a year in Madison, I would go to the Pink Floyd Laser Light show presented by Paramount. It was awesome. I'd get to sit in an auditorium full of fellow Floyd fans with light-refracting glasses and chill.

Well, at the Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences, they have a planetarium and they have laser light shows once a month. Matt and I have gone to one so far, and while it didn't have the production value that the Paramount shows did, they are still respectable and a good time. Basically, they just play an entire album (Floyd's Dark Side the first time) and you stare at the ceiling, mesmerized by the lasers, and you get to disappear for 45 minutes or so.

Tomorrow night we're going to see a Zepplin show and Floyd's the Wall. A good time should be had by all. Matt's not really into Floyd like I am, but he goes to humor me, which I appreciate.

The house of champions

Matt and I are winners. At least, we are when it comes to our fantasy football leagues. For the second year in a row, I won the Madison Area Fantasy Football League. It's a group of guys I used to work with, and this was my 5th or 6th year in the league. It was an impressive victory considering the fact that my first-round draft pick, Tom Brady, was injured for the season in the first quarter of the year.

Matt was the winner of the Tel-Tron Gridiron League. This was comprised of all employees of Tel-Tron. Matt was the only non-Tel-Tron person and was a last-minute addition to the league. It was his first year playing fantasy football and received minimal coaching from me. Another impressive victory.

Yeah, we're winners!