I cannot help the unease. I am unable to recall a time in my life when things have moved so quickly. The changes that are taking place at work, the fact that I have to lead those changes, the fact that the plant is not moving as quickly as I had expected, the endless traveling, seeing a friend I haven't seen in 6 years again, going to Nigeria in August, the exams I may or may not be taking, the nerves about going to Nigeria, unease about my sister's wedding to her strange fiance - all have added up to make this quite an unsettling time in my life, and I don't like the feeling. It's new territory for me - I'm usually in control, in absolute control of everything around me.
Away from that, my 401k is rolled over; my car is now registered in Ohio. All, it seems, is well with the administrative side of my life. I just need to engage my brain and make it follow suit.
I think I might feel so unsettled because I haven't really had a chance to see the Cleveland area at all. My sister went back to New Haven, to work at some Yale clinic, and so I am alone again in Ohio. Still, I haven't had the chance to see any of the local areas because I have been going to Columbus so often. It appears I will visit Columbus every other Saturday from now until the end of November. That's what I think might happen, although the frequency of the trips might decrease with time (perhaps to just monthly). It's not the end of the world, but it can get really exhausting!
I received my travel plans for the Arkansas trip from my assistant a few days ago - turns out I will be returning to Ohio around midnight on Friday the 9th July. Why she booked a flight for such a time is beyond me, but I didn't make a fuss of things. Indeed I didn't say a word. Sometimes there are battles you just don't want to fight. In the future, of course, if I have a trip, I'll let her know a priori what I need - in this case, it was totally my fault for not speaking to her a priori.
What else is new? Wimbledon is going on. Today, Roger Federer lost to a man named Berdych who is from the Czech Republic. By all accounts, Berdych played well. Andy Murray beat Tsonga, meaning he will next face Rafael Nadal, who defeated Robin Soderling. I quite like Rafa Nadal. Scratch that. He is far and away my favorite tennis player! It is my hope that I can take a weekend to go to the US Open this year and watch him play. Still on tennis, I found this gem of a website online: http://fuldans.se/?v=yuxiylhvsv. The face is Soderling's, the dance moves are hilarious!
The World Cup is still going on. I can barely name the Quarterfinalists (I think they are still in the Quarterfinals). I do know, however, that Ghana has saved Africa's blushes by being the only African team left in the knockout stages of the first World Cup to be staged on African soil. Good on ya, Ghana!
Came across an excellent article about England's trip to South Africa. Here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/index.html
If, like me, you will only read sparingly about this World Cup, make sure that is one article you read. Quite eye-opening.
I am really frightened about visiting Nigeria this year. From what I hear, the country has not changed much in the 4 years since I last visited. It remains a toxic soup of hopelessness and poverty, a steaming cauldron of starvation and backwardness. I recall the abject poverty I witnessed and lived in Nigeria. Days on end without tangible food. Children with kwashiokor, the classic egg-on-sticks appearance, their hair flaming red from malnutrition and what not. It still gives me nightmares. The years of my childhood conjure images of happiness with a family that loves me dearly, but also memories of the agony of living in a wretched state, without access to healthcare, decent clothing, food, etc.
One more thing - Nigeria turns 50 this year. I say it's time for the country to take a long, hard look at its present composition and determine whether we want to redefine our borders. A nation should be composed of a "coalition of the willing". Is this present composition the only solution for Nigeria? Something tells me not.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Travels
So it's the beginning of a series of trips.
Two Saturdays ago, I drove to Columbus. The trip is 2.5 hours long either way, and I made the to and fro journeys on the same day, spending 6 hours with a lady I know there. I did the same this Saturday. In effect I haven't had a single Saturday off in a long time.
I was so exhausted on my return to Twinsburg each time, that I simply fell on my bed and slept until Sunday afternoon. The Sundays I spent reading or browsing the internet, or cleaning my house (in other words, doing nothing tangible).
To complicate matters, I had a rough day at work yesterday. I had a terrible meeting, and I was woefully underprepared for it. It was a big lesson for me.
As though that's not enough, I am flying out to oklahoma on Friday the 2nd July, returning the 5th July, then flying out to Arkansas on the 6th July, returning on the 9th July and then traveling to Columbus on the 10th July. The good news is that my plant is shut down until the 20th July. That would normally be unqualified good news (stay at home, have time to explore the area, etc). But, I have a class on the 13th July, my birthday, and I have to give a training class on the 15th July. And I might be going back to Columbus on the 17th July. What does this all mean? It means that I substantively have no break from now until the end of the shutdown. Add to that the stress of planning my sister's wedding (from a continent away) and the fact that somewhere amidst all these things I have to travel to Nigeria in late August, and you can imagine how overwhelmed I feel at the moment.
Not to mention that my plant has a massive audit some time in September, and if we fail this audit, it will come right unto my boss and myself. I am really nervous at the moment, but if I have picked up anything over the past few years, it's that everything will even out. I just have to wait.
P.S: I got my hepatitis and HIV results back. Phew. Regardless of how clean you are, you always wonder, no?
Two Saturdays ago, I drove to Columbus. The trip is 2.5 hours long either way, and I made the to and fro journeys on the same day, spending 6 hours with a lady I know there. I did the same this Saturday. In effect I haven't had a single Saturday off in a long time.
I was so exhausted on my return to Twinsburg each time, that I simply fell on my bed and slept until Sunday afternoon. The Sundays I spent reading or browsing the internet, or cleaning my house (in other words, doing nothing tangible).
To complicate matters, I had a rough day at work yesterday. I had a terrible meeting, and I was woefully underprepared for it. It was a big lesson for me.
As though that's not enough, I am flying out to oklahoma on Friday the 2nd July, returning the 5th July, then flying out to Arkansas on the 6th July, returning on the 9th July and then traveling to Columbus on the 10th July. The good news is that my plant is shut down until the 20th July. That would normally be unqualified good news (stay at home, have time to explore the area, etc). But, I have a class on the 13th July, my birthday, and I have to give a training class on the 15th July. And I might be going back to Columbus on the 17th July. What does this all mean? It means that I substantively have no break from now until the end of the shutdown. Add to that the stress of planning my sister's wedding (from a continent away) and the fact that somewhere amidst all these things I have to travel to Nigeria in late August, and you can imagine how overwhelmed I feel at the moment.
Not to mention that my plant has a massive audit some time in September, and if we fail this audit, it will come right unto my boss and myself. I am really nervous at the moment, but if I have picked up anything over the past few years, it's that everything will even out. I just have to wait.
P.S: I got my hepatitis and HIV results back. Phew. Regardless of how clean you are, you always wonder, no?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pre World-Cup hype...not
1) The World Cup begins tomorrow. I was at work during the opening ceremony. Thus I didn't see the ceremony. I didn't record it on my DVR either. Am I to be concerned that I am not as feverish about this World Cup as I was about the last 4 World Cups? I think not. I suppose it is a part of growing up: letting go of your past, moving on to more exciting hobbies, etc. A decade ago, I would have been able to reel off every team, every player on every team, every group and all the teams in the groups. Hell at the Quarterfinal phase of France 1998, I recall that I knew all the scores of all the matches that had been played in all the groups during the group stages. Now I cannot even name all the teams in Nigeria's group! It is a weird change.
2) I played tennis a few days ago with my sister. It appears watching Nadal on television has helped my forehand. It rocks. Sadly, my backhand needs work. I really need to get a tennis coach as soon as possible.
3) I volunteered to be a mentor to young girls interested in the sciences and engineering. They are in middle school or high school, and all are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Most are probably ethnic minorities.
4) My sister and her fiance speak a lot on Skype. I don't really think there is any chemistry between the two of them, but really, whatever floats their respective boats. The fiance is absolutely insufferable - but outsiders often wonder what makes lovers so engrossed in each other's company. I am absolutely perplexed as to what they see in each other. And how (& why) they don't pull out their own hair as they go over the minutiae of their lives. Their conversation rarely goes beyond "How are you? Where is your sister (i.e. I), etc". I really just don't get it, but I have learned to clamp my mouth tight shut. Now it appears they are fighting. The other day, he called her "bullish", and not in a nice way. Already they do not necessarily appear to be happy with each other. Sometimes, in my more cynical phases, I wonder if they are together because they have been together for so long? Or because they wonder if they will not find anyone else? The whole thing is a mystery to me. Both seem miserable and artificial around one another. I don't understand it, but perhaps in time it will all become clearer to me.
5) I found out that I am fat again. Another time for a great diet and this time I mean a culture and lifestyle that I can support.
6) I really should call my friend Val. I rarely feel guilty about not calling people, but in this case, I do. He is from Bulgaria, and we were great friends in college. I wonder how he is doing now. He is in Grad school. I hope he is healthy and happy.
7) I have been in DMAIC training for the past 2 weeks, with people from all across the world. It has been fun. Today, though, there was a dinner for all the folks in the training - a lakeside buffet on a yacht. I couldn't attend it.
8) I bought an Invicta watch online a few days ago. It arrived today. As part of the perks of working at my awesome job, I got a discount of about 90%. i have a thing for watches, apparently. I can't stop buying them. The Invicta watch cost $40, but when it arrived, it was a little too large, so I might resize it.
9) My awesome job keeps sending me checks instead of depositing my salary in the bank. I really hate having to go to the bank. They tell me it will take a few weeks before my Direct Deposit kicks in. It's really annoying, though...
10) Since I just moved to Ohio and since this is the great USA where every state thinks it's a country, I have to jump through hoops to become a legal driver in Ohio. First I have to change the title on my vehicle to read "Ohio" where I now reside instead of "New Jersey" where I have lived since 2004 and where I bought the car in 2009. This was a long journey. I had to call the bank (which owns the lien on the car) to send the original title to the County Clerk's Office here in Ohio. This alone took about 2 weeks, since everyone at the bank acted like I was speaking Greek the first time I called about this matter. And then the County Clerk, in their infinite wisdom, instead of simply calling me or emailing me to let me know when they received the documents, sent me a letter by post to inform me that they got the documents. I mean, in this age, wouldn't an email suffice? Or a text message? Or a bloody telephone call? Save yourself the 44 cents it takes. Save yourself a trip to the post office or local mailbox. Save yourself the f*cking effort.
As you might rightly deduce, I am not a big fan of governmental agencies. They are some of the most bureaucratic monstrosities around. Indeed, I am not the only person who feels this way. Since I work in Lean Manufacturing, and my job largely revolves around eliminating inefficiencies in manufacturing processes, it is not a surprise that I read this post : http://blogs.reliableplant.com/1158/lean-in-washington/ and agreed with pretty much everything the blogger had to say. Indeed, his experience mirrors mine and that of probably millions of poor Americans at the mercy of fat, lazy, entitled government workers across the length and breadth of this country. And this is not to say that all government workers are entitled and fat and lazy, but in my experience, a good percentage of them are...
In any case, back to the car wahala. After I got the letter from the County of Clerks saying that they had received my title, I was asked to come in to get the title change completed. Once this was done, I saw a notice saying that I could change my driver's license to an Ohio license. I had completely forgotten about this. Upon inquiry, I was informed that I had to take a written test to transfer my driver's license from New Jersey to Ohio. Alas, this written test is conducted at another branch of another office (a half hour away), peopled by - you guessed it - fat, lazy, entitled government workers. In any case, part of the blame is mine. Hell, most of the blame is mine. I should have read all the requirements. I should have gone prepared. I should have known. Indeed I went in to the office only with the intention of changing the title from Ohio to New Jersey. But when I saw that this particular office handled license changes, too, I remembered that I had to change my driver's license and license plates. These all took place before the bombshell that I had to take a new written test and that I had to drive a half hour to take said test, and then return to the original office to complete the license change. What a waste of a 30-minute drive. A simple computer, set up to automatically administer said test, will not cost that much money to run. I mean, what is the magic involved in doing something as simple as this?
In any case, it is late (past 9pm!). And I had a long day at work, only leaving my office at around 06:45pm, more than 2 hours past my regular exit time. So I'd better go to bed!
Good night!
2) I played tennis a few days ago with my sister. It appears watching Nadal on television has helped my forehand. It rocks. Sadly, my backhand needs work. I really need to get a tennis coach as soon as possible.
3) I volunteered to be a mentor to young girls interested in the sciences and engineering. They are in middle school or high school, and all are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Most are probably ethnic minorities.
4) My sister and her fiance speak a lot on Skype. I don't really think there is any chemistry between the two of them, but really, whatever floats their respective boats. The fiance is absolutely insufferable - but outsiders often wonder what makes lovers so engrossed in each other's company. I am absolutely perplexed as to what they see in each other. And how (& why) they don't pull out their own hair as they go over the minutiae of their lives. Their conversation rarely goes beyond "How are you? Where is your sister (i.e. I), etc". I really just don't get it, but I have learned to clamp my mouth tight shut. Now it appears they are fighting. The other day, he called her "bullish", and not in a nice way. Already they do not necessarily appear to be happy with each other. Sometimes, in my more cynical phases, I wonder if they are together because they have been together for so long? Or because they wonder if they will not find anyone else? The whole thing is a mystery to me. Both seem miserable and artificial around one another. I don't understand it, but perhaps in time it will all become clearer to me.
5) I found out that I am fat again. Another time for a great diet and this time I mean a culture and lifestyle that I can support.
6) I really should call my friend Val. I rarely feel guilty about not calling people, but in this case, I do. He is from Bulgaria, and we were great friends in college. I wonder how he is doing now. He is in Grad school. I hope he is healthy and happy.
7) I have been in DMAIC training for the past 2 weeks, with people from all across the world. It has been fun. Today, though, there was a dinner for all the folks in the training - a lakeside buffet on a yacht. I couldn't attend it.
8) I bought an Invicta watch online a few days ago. It arrived today. As part of the perks of working at my awesome job, I got a discount of about 90%. i have a thing for watches, apparently. I can't stop buying them. The Invicta watch cost $40, but when it arrived, it was a little too large, so I might resize it.
9) My awesome job keeps sending me checks instead of depositing my salary in the bank. I really hate having to go to the bank. They tell me it will take a few weeks before my Direct Deposit kicks in. It's really annoying, though...
10) Since I just moved to Ohio and since this is the great USA where every state thinks it's a country, I have to jump through hoops to become a legal driver in Ohio. First I have to change the title on my vehicle to read "Ohio" where I now reside instead of "New Jersey" where I have lived since 2004 and where I bought the car in 2009. This was a long journey. I had to call the bank (which owns the lien on the car) to send the original title to the County Clerk's Office here in Ohio. This alone took about 2 weeks, since everyone at the bank acted like I was speaking Greek the first time I called about this matter. And then the County Clerk, in their infinite wisdom, instead of simply calling me or emailing me to let me know when they received the documents, sent me a letter by post to inform me that they got the documents. I mean, in this age, wouldn't an email suffice? Or a text message? Or a bloody telephone call? Save yourself the 44 cents it takes. Save yourself a trip to the post office or local mailbox. Save yourself the f*cking effort.
As you might rightly deduce, I am not a big fan of governmental agencies. They are some of the most bureaucratic monstrosities around. Indeed, I am not the only person who feels this way. Since I work in Lean Manufacturing, and my job largely revolves around eliminating inefficiencies in manufacturing processes, it is not a surprise that I read this post : http://blogs.reliableplant.com/1158/lean-in-washington/ and agreed with pretty much everything the blogger had to say. Indeed, his experience mirrors mine and that of probably millions of poor Americans at the mercy of fat, lazy, entitled government workers across the length and breadth of this country. And this is not to say that all government workers are entitled and fat and lazy, but in my experience, a good percentage of them are...
In any case, back to the car wahala. After I got the letter from the County of Clerks saying that they had received my title, I was asked to come in to get the title change completed. Once this was done, I saw a notice saying that I could change my driver's license to an Ohio license. I had completely forgotten about this. Upon inquiry, I was informed that I had to take a written test to transfer my driver's license from New Jersey to Ohio. Alas, this written test is conducted at another branch of another office (a half hour away), peopled by - you guessed it - fat, lazy, entitled government workers. In any case, part of the blame is mine. Hell, most of the blame is mine. I should have read all the requirements. I should have gone prepared. I should have known. Indeed I went in to the office only with the intention of changing the title from Ohio to New Jersey. But when I saw that this particular office handled license changes, too, I remembered that I had to change my driver's license and license plates. These all took place before the bombshell that I had to take a new written test and that I had to drive a half hour to take said test, and then return to the original office to complete the license change. What a waste of a 30-minute drive. A simple computer, set up to automatically administer said test, will not cost that much money to run. I mean, what is the magic involved in doing something as simple as this?
In any case, it is late (past 9pm!). And I had a long day at work, only leaving my office at around 06:45pm, more than 2 hours past my regular exit time. So I'd better go to bed!
Good night!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The times, they are a-busy
I am doing quite a bit of traveling and working and ... well, quite a lot of stuff.
I have been in training all week, with lots of lovely coworkers from all around the world: Brazil, the UK, France, Germany and Canada. All really bright and incredibly awesome people!
My sister is here, and she will, Inshallah (no, I'm not a Muslim - not that there's anything wrong with that), spend the entire summer with me in Ohio before her wedding in Nigeria in August, which I plan to attend. We will have a lot of fun, Inshallah. A few nights after she arrived, we went to see Avatar in 3D (yes, I found a gem of a cinema that was still showing it). It was well worth the $20! In any case, my sister is here and we are planning things together. Sometime this week, we will hopefully go watch Prince of Persia, and then this weekend is the World Cup opening weekend (I cannot get myself excited about this World Cup, however hard I try).
I have quite a bit of traveling coming up, though. I'm going to Columbus the weekend of the 19th June and again the weekend of the 26th June. Then the weekend of July 4th, I'm going to Oklahoma to see an old and dear friend, and the weekend after that, I will be in Arkansas (6th-10th July) for a work-fun trip, paid for by the company but without any actual work involved. It's a team-building exercise with some of my other co-workers, so I am really excited about it! The weekend after that, I will likely be back in Columbus. In short, there is quite a bit of traveling and driving around to be done in the near future. Omo, ko easy!
In any case, some time this summer, I plan that my sister and I will go off to Sandusky and see Cedar Point, and if we are really fortunate, we can go off to Put-in-Bay over some weekend.
I'm really excited about all the plans.
Have a great summer!
I have been in training all week, with lots of lovely coworkers from all around the world: Brazil, the UK, France, Germany and Canada. All really bright and incredibly awesome people!
My sister is here, and she will, Inshallah (no, I'm not a Muslim - not that there's anything wrong with that), spend the entire summer with me in Ohio before her wedding in Nigeria in August, which I plan to attend. We will have a lot of fun, Inshallah. A few nights after she arrived, we went to see Avatar in 3D (yes, I found a gem of a cinema that was still showing it). It was well worth the $20! In any case, my sister is here and we are planning things together. Sometime this week, we will hopefully go watch Prince of Persia, and then this weekend is the World Cup opening weekend (I cannot get myself excited about this World Cup, however hard I try).
I have quite a bit of traveling coming up, though. I'm going to Columbus the weekend of the 19th June and again the weekend of the 26th June. Then the weekend of July 4th, I'm going to Oklahoma to see an old and dear friend, and the weekend after that, I will be in Arkansas (6th-10th July) for a work-fun trip, paid for by the company but without any actual work involved. It's a team-building exercise with some of my other co-workers, so I am really excited about it! The weekend after that, I will likely be back in Columbus. In short, there is quite a bit of traveling and driving around to be done in the near future. Omo, ko easy!
In any case, some time this summer, I plan that my sister and I will go off to Sandusky and see Cedar Point, and if we are really fortunate, we can go off to Put-in-Bay over some weekend.
I'm really excited about all the plans.
Have a great summer!
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