Our New Office Space...

...has a metal door handle on the outer door with an electronic lock keypad that looks somewhat like this (picture the keypad above the handle).



Now the hallway leading to the door is carpeted and I'm thinking that you're seeing where I'm going with this. Every morning it's like that damn scene from Office Space where I walk up to the door and know I'm going to get shocked when I enter in the code. So, as a result, I stand there for a few seconds wondering, "Is this the day I won't get shocked?" Of course, in the end, I always do but there's always hoping. A minor annoyance for sure, but having to deal with it every morning to start the day isn't my idea of fun. Too bad I can't take a power drill to the door either. Okay, I'm done.



"PC LOAD LETTER?! WHAT THE F*CK DOES THAT MEAN?!

Today Is Earth Day...

...and I don't give a flip. I did drive my SUV to the store today. I could have walked but I figured that since it was such a nice day, why not go for a drive. It was niiiiiiiiiiiiiicceeee.

I also have some recycling that I need to take to the center. Too bad it's so far away. I may just dump the stuff in with the regular trash on Monday.

Oh, and go rent Battlefield Earth.

The Model Minority...

For some odd reason, my journals of late seem to revolve around death. The first two were the passing of great men, who in their own way, have impacted my life in one way or another. Yes, Don Ho did provide an impact on my life. I mean honestly, who doesn't remember fondly, the one party they attended where people all knew the words and sang along. But I digress. I won't go into the details since we all seem to know the basics pretty well, and I'm not even going to try and sort through the media hype and speculation surrounding Monday's events. The question I have is this: what impact does this event have on Asian Americans, especially males?

The answer – not a damn thing.

Sure, if I try to walk into a store and buy a Glock over the next few weeks, I’m sure to get a look from the guy behind the counter that I normally wouldn’t get, wondering if I’m going to wander onto UNLV campus and start shooting people but part of me would be stupid to assume otherwise. Does what happened really change my status as being part of the “Model Minority” here in America? Let’s think about what it means to have that label. What comes to most minds when you think Asian American male? Well, aside from that (you asshole – how many have you seen anyway), you’re probably thinking that he’s good at math, is probably in some science or financially related field, plays the piano or violin really well and probably knows kung fu. Wow, those are all qualities we look for in someone we really admire. Thanks a lot my fellow Americans. That whole label is nothing but a slap in the face. If we’re such the Model Minority, why do you always have to ask us, “No, where are you really from” all the time? Should you even care? These so-called other non-Model Minorities never have to answer those questions. Now you’re just going to ask us if we’re going to shoot you every time we don’t agree with you on something. In essence, you already thought little of us, so we couldn’t go any lower.

America, thanks for emasculating me over the last few years and Cho, thanks for being Korean. At least I don’t have that to deal with when people ask me where I’m really from in the future.

I am an American of Taiwanese descent and it’s about time you started recognizing that. And stay the fuck away from my sister. Or else…

Tiny bubbles...

...Don Ho passed today. Everyone knows the song and everyone's sung the song in a large group when you were wasted at some point. So here's to you Don, for making everyone's party just a little better and for making us feel happy and fine with those tiny bubbles of yours.

"So here's to the golden moon
And here's to the silver sea
And mostly here's a toast
To you and me."

"So it goes..."

...we just lost one of the greatest literary minds of our time.

I remember the first time I ever read one of Vonnegut’s novels. Slaughterhouse-Five was probably the first “modern” novel I had read (at the ripe young age of 15) and I think it had a huge part in me deciding to major in English. Even though I didn’t fully understand the novel until probably college, it is still one of the greatest books that I have ever read.

Watch out for the Tralfamadorians…

I'm not dead yet...

Since it’s been nearly a month since I last updated this sucker, I figured that it would be good to bore you with the details of the last month of my life: absolutely nothing.

Seriously, life here has turned into the proverbial rat race that people at my stage in life tend to sink into. I mean I’ve been out of school long enough to have a “career” that I’m unhappy with and I’m old enough where my weekends aren’t going out and drinking/partying anymore. I know that in this town that seems like a shock but come on, if the locals were down at the Strip every weekend, we’d be dead broke. Most of the people that move here and try that no longer live here. Not that I’m saying that the weekends in aren’t nice, they actually are. I’m just generally unsatisfied where life has taken me. Of course I’m not just complaining about things – I am trying to get things to where I want them to be. I interviewed for a new job and didn’t get it. So now I’m thinking of going back to school but then realized that decision is a lot of work and with my regular job, I’m not sure I have the time to get things in line. Blah. The nice thing is that I now have a total of two friends that I hang out with on a regular basis that I don’t work with. Yes, call the news station; I have two friends in town now. Plus, I think they actually emjoy hanging out with me. Sweet.

I did go back to Atlanta at the end of March for work. That was nice to see some old friends and my family. After moving so far away, it really is good to go home and see the family. In the past, I’ve never lived farther than a day’s drive from home but now, it’s really weird to have to fly home for things but it really has made me appreciate my family more. Speaking of events in March, Vanderbilt got screwed in their Sweet Sixteen game. That’s all I have to say about that.

Now that tax season is upon us, I’m really unhappy with my accountant. I’ve used the guy for the last 3 years because I have a complicated return to due the fellowship stipend I used to receive as part of my old job. This year I decided to use the same guy because he hasn’t done a bad job the last couple of years. Well this year, he moved to another new firm and didn’t do my taxes right the first time like I had asked him to. Now he’s telling me that it’s going to cost me more to have it done right. What the hell. If it ends up costing me more than the last two years, I’m going to have some serious issues with the guy. I mean I paid to have my taxes done and I still owe money? What the hell…

One last thing, when I first moved out to Vegas, I only signed a 6 month least because I thought I was going to end up buying a place. Well, I no longer want to buy a home and can’t decide what to do about a place to live. My lease ends in July and the owner is thinking of selling the house. I’m thinking of getting the lease extended to the end of the year, which I’m pretty sure he won’t have a problem with. The issue is, I kind of want to get out of my job and would like to be leaving Vegas by next fall or at least have a new job or something so that puts me in a bind in terms of what to do for housing after that since everyone here is a big fan of the 18 month lease. Am I thinking too far in advance?

Man my life is just a logistical mess right now. I think I need to take some time to reorganize. Develop an action-item list for my life, so to speak.

Blah – I think I’ve gotten way too lazy and complacent. It must be the heat from the desert.