March 30, 2002 - Focusyn was really good. There were alot of people there and they really seemed to enjoy it all. We bought a CD and a shirt. The shirts are cool. We're fans.

March 28, 2002 - Focusyn Plays tomorrow night. It's their CD release party at Fitzgerald's. Cool stuff, man. That is, if you like that punk rock (which I do). I never started listening to punk until Mikey did. I heard the stuff he listened to cuase he played tapes in the car and cd's in the house and would play operation ivy and rancid songs on his guitar when he was younger (he used to be into ska, too). I wonder if it happens alot that older brothers are influenced so much by their younger brothers. Mikey has such good taste in music. He likes all the classic punk, but he also knows really good contemporary stuff. I wish him luck with Focusyn. He's such a good singer and songwriter. When he's not drunk. :(

March 25, 2002 - Congratulations to Ricardo for getting accepted into the Aljira Program in NY!!!

March 24, 2002 - Today I didn't do a damn thing but play video games. It's not a good thing, I know. But it wa still fun. I played Age of Empires, then watched TV, played Starcraft, then washed some dishes, then played Age of Empires again and folded some clothes. I can't seem to keep away from playing video games. Especially so when Sarah's at work and I'm at home. I have fun, but then I feel like I've wasted my time afterwards. Nonetheless, I'll probably play more tomorrow.

March 21, 2002 - Feeling better. I don't know how. One day I feel like shit, the next day completely normal. I hate being sick because I always want to know exactly what it is and exactly what causes it, as well as EXACTLY how to fix it. I know that I can never know that. Maybe I treat my body too much like a machine. I hope that giving it scheduled maintenence will keep everything running. then, when something goes wrong, I want a printed analysis with charts, graphs, and illustrations with step-by-step instructions on how to repair it. I wonder if that's healthy.

March 20, 2002 - Man, I was sick yesterday. I woke up feeling nausiated, I felt like maybe I ate someting bad the night before, but everythign I ate was fresh. It also felt like I drank too much, but I only had like 1.5 glasses of beer. It was weird. I felt like I had to go to sleep to keep from throwing up (gross, huh?). Then I went into work late, hoping that it was all over. While I was at work, my back and my legs, and a little of my arms felt achy, like if I had the flu. Someone asked me if I was alright and I realized I ahd been sitting at my desk, rubbing my face and moaning for about 10 minutes! I asked to go home and they were cool with it. I managed to drive home somehow and I got into bed. Sarah took my temperature when I got home and it was 100.4; I didn't even think I had a fever. I still couldn't eat anything. The thought of food grossed me out. Sarah made me some instant soup and a glass of juice. That was good. I basically just stayed in bed the rest of the night. I woke up this morning and I felt fine! What the hell! I don't know what's going on. I'm glad I feel better, but that's so weird. I still don't even know what cuased it.

March 18, 2002 - So maybe updates aren't my thing. Oh well. In case anyone is reading this, I want to say congratulations to Will and Tasha (I guess both their last names are Willis now). I hope they have a good honeymoon. Their reception was very nice. The people that hosted it had a big fuckin house! you think I'm playin!? No it was huge and it had a small basketball court inside and on the second floor. I guess it IS good to know people from chruch (temple, in this case)!

Anyway, the weekend came and went again. Did some dishes; did some laundry. Watched some TV. Read a little. I should probably read more.

March 6, 2002 - I have to remember not to complain about my job. That's a shitty thing that I have to remind myself not to complain. I seem to have been raised to complain about whatever my present situation may be,, and then we make jokes about how "awful" the job is at work, so I get so comfortable with complaining about it. Not that my job is absolutely perfect and couldn't use some criticism, but I think if I have to have a job at all, I'd rather have this one (which is lucky I guess because I DO have to have a job). Compared to some of the things my friends tell me about where they work, I feel like I'm in a good spot. Nobody's making me run to get them coffee and a bagel from their favorite Deli in Manhattan. Nobody's telling me that I have exactly two minutes to get up and go to the bathroom, and then actually times me with the intention of repremanding me if I spend too long. I wouldn't think that it would be good practice to treat your employees that way, but apparently some companies think it's okay. The conditions I just mentioned actually exist. They are two different jobs, and both of the employees hate their positions so much that they are constantly on a hunt for a new job. I wish them both good luck.

I feel like the people I work for are good managers. I may be the only one who thinks so, and I may not know everything they do, but I feel good about their relationship with me. I feel like they trust me to do what I think needs to be done. I feel like they let me work at my own pace, as long as it's resonable and things get done. I think they are very generous with giving me credit where I deserve it, as well as taking some of the responsibility if I brake something. I get ot use the internet as much as I need. I'm not limited with personal calls. I'm trusted with very sensitive material, and I get to work on pet projects in my down-time. There are some things that I would want improved, of course. I will always continue to try to improve these conditions. I just have to remember that when I complain about being a code-monkey, that it's only a joke and that I'd rather be a code-monkey than a wage-slave. At least I CHOSE to be a code-monkey. I feel good about that and I hope that many other people find the opportunity to have that choice for themselves.