It Never Rains, But That It Pours

Great, now in the most appropriate commentary of all on my present mood...it rains! It appears as if God does indeed have a sense of humor after all;-) Maybe one day, I will get mine back...nótt, nótt

[Listening to: Ruby Soho - Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves (02:38)]

Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

Sometimes it is a red-hot dagger driven right through the center of your heart, in other words...it just plain hurts!

[Listening to: Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (03:19)]

Michael Fullan

I had yet another occassion to partake of this visionary's always-inspirational insight on educational reform, change, and leadership. We have hosted three of his conferences and I make it a point to work every one of them. First and foremost, out of respect to the man, I would not risk to chance the quality of the technical support. Not that I am perfect, but I am, quite frankly, as good as they come in my realm of expertise and a speaker of his stature deserves no less than to be supported by a technologist of the same caliber. Secondly, and the most personally gratifying, is that I always come away from listening to him speak, with at least one epiphany. This one was no exception and revolved around the concept that great leaders possess a high degree of "emotional intelligence" or empathy for people. No sooner did he get the words out then I realized that this was the missing attribute of our leadership that has caused me so much angst and frustration, their general lack of empathy for those that they lead. More later on the far-reaching implications of this realization...vertu svalur, y'all

[Listening to: Leave Me Alone (Album Version) - The Veronicas - The Secret Life Of... (03:29)]

Pretty, But Mentally Challenging

A more accurate description for her I could not have come up with if I had tried, O já!...vertu svalur og glaður allan tímann líka

[Listening to: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams (03:04)]

Er Þessi Ég?

Hmm...I don't know, what do you think?

How You Are In Love

You take a while to fall in love with someone. Trust takes time. You give completely and unconditionally in relationships. You tend to get very attached when you're with someone. You want to see your love all the time. You love your partner unconditionally and don't try to make them change. You stay in love for a long time, even if you aren't loved back. When you fall, you fall hard.

How Are You In Love?

A Brief Return to Winter

My midnight run tonight reminded me that Old Man Winter has not yet relinquished his icy grip on the season. The temperature is in the mid-twenties, heading for the single digits (farenheit, that is), with a stiff north wind blowing. Personally, I am glad to see that there is a wee bit of the frost left to be enjoyed before Spring begins it's awakening...vertu svalur (literally, even;-)

[Listening to: Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (03:19)]

NCCE 2006

Well, the conference has ended, everyone has packed up and I am home again. I would have to say that this year's conference was one of the more enjoyable ones for me. The discussions were engaging and visionary, my nomination of Alan Walker for the Technology Leader of the Year was successful, I made some new contacts in the industry and participated more with the leadership of the tech community. Glenn's management of the technology of the conference was successful, at least partially because he has a good team with which to work. On the downside, I have to admit that bidding David Walddon a heartfelt farewell from OSPI as he heads off to Microsoft was one of the most bittersweet moments that I have experienced in quite a while. I shall miss his leadership, humor and friendship while wishing him and his family all of the best that life has to offer.

Of course, being apart from the one that I wish most to be with always drives my desire to return home almost as soon as I depart. I know that the term "sweet misery" may seem contradictory, but not to anyone who has experienced the intense longing for another that I feel for her...and I hope that the misery never ends;-)

[Listening to: You Were Meant For Me (LP Version) - Jewel - Pieces Of You (04:14)]

Dive Karaoke

One of the Microsoft gals expressed a desire for some "dive karaoke" and so last night the Microsoft, Dell, and HP gang and myself and some tech ladies from Puyallup went out to the Alibi Bar. It was easy to find, even for someone unfamiliar with the dark streets of the Swan Lake district of Portland, all we had to do was look for the garish neon sign and throwback 60's Tiki bar decor. Once inside, the retro look continued, but the staff was accomodating, the crowd lively, and the singing about as bad as one would expect...especially ours;-) We did have a heck of a good time, the locals contributed greatly to the atmosphere, and our gang did themselves proud. For myself, I drank about 8 margaritas, sang very little, but danced back-up to the gals whenever the opportunity presented itself. We finally gave it up about midnight so that we could grab a little sleep before the morning conference sessions began and I found myself giving the Puyallup trio a ride back to their hotel. I would say that the company was enjoyable, a GREAT time was had by all and we definitely drowned some demons that night...Jáhúú

[Listening to: Thank You - Dido - No Angel (03:38)]

...With Liberal Applications of Chocolate...Auðvitað!

I have to admit that I am proud of my baby girl. She took her first broken heart in stride and seems to bouncing back quite well, after a little bout of feeling sorry for herself. She went to school the next day, head held up and proud, and has never looked back. Of course, she does admit that chocolate, Cheetos and Cherry Coke were her constant companions for a couple of days;-) But, between that and good friends, she seems not too much worse for the wear. I did pass along all of y'alls best wishes and good advice and she has asked me to give y'all a huge, virtual group hug and tell you how much she appreciated the support. I personally liked the Ben and Jerry's therapy idea myself...New York Super Fudge Crunch, of course!!!

[Listening to: Everything to Me - Liz Phair - Everything To Me/Clean (03:18)]

Superbowl Ads...and the Winners Are:

"Best Soundtrack"


"Most Awwww-ful"

Of course, I mean didn't y'all just say "Awwww" when you first watched it...I know I did!

"A Friend's Favorite"


"Overall Best Commercial for 2006":


Bonus!!! From Super Bowl XXXVII and Still One of My Favorites: