I Deny Your Allegations

IN-DIA! *elephant trumpeting*

That's definitely the vibe I get from Devin's travels in the so-called "sub-continent" within the all-encompassing Asian continent. I'm going to have to assume that he made it to Amritsar, simply because I would expect no less from such an illustrious individual.

So, incensed at Mr. Simmons' allegations held within the tags of his previous post (although, I realize now, there is definitely a lot of truth held in those words...damn, I gotta post more), I begin my post. Perhaps it's not the best beginning to a post ever, but something's gotta get me writing, and it might as well be the righteously accusatory statement of a member of the Presidio.

My project at work got canceled yesterday. There were six or seven of us packed into a relatively small teleconferencing room, sitting in front of the baleful (ok, they were just frustrated) eyes of the Great Kahn. He started out asking us how progress was, and we truthfully told him that in fact, progress wasn't that great and that we'd probably need a lot more time to get anything viable out of the project. He then grilled us about what we should do at this juncture (which was fairly obvious, it's just that nobody wanted to say "cancel it"), told us in rough terms that the project was over, gave supportive words to the members of other projects and that was that. Now, not being part of a project may sound like new-found freedom, but it's incredibly disappointing, considering that I felt like my first project two years ago was overwhelmingly successful. *shrug* I think that I'll just get more thick-skinned as time goes on, and get used to this whole process. My coworker from New Zealand probably said it best: "He vents at you, he feels better, you feel better, then everybody moves on. OK, maybe you don't feel better, but you move on anyways."

After that trivial (but strangely momentous) event, I started thinking, as is my wont. During the conference, there had been talk about limited resources and the economy, and since that's been on my mind as well, I couldn't help but ponder my place in all of this. I thought, I'm such a small portion of such a small company, and I'm feeling the effects of this downturn, just like everyone else. What does one do in the face of such a disastrous juggernaut? Nothing, really, is the conclusion that I came to. This is not a message telling myself sit there in lethargy, and make excuses not to work hard. Just the opposite, actually, because if you can't personally do anything about the financial collapse and such, and if you really, truly believe in the system and it's eventual return (which I do), then all you can do is work as hard as you can and hope the situation gets better. Pump out good products, do well, feel responsible for something good that goes on at the company, and just grind it out. Because, honestly, what is my situation right now? I have a solid job, great family, and awesome friends...the hell else am I looking for? When it really comes down to it, I wouldn't be anywhere else. So whenever I'm feeling sorry for myself, I sit myself down and think about my place in life, and sheepishly laugh at how ridiculous I am.

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The hockey season's started. I'm sure everybody reading this blog is ecstatic about this fact, because there are just so many hockey fans out there (according to the 2007 Harris poll (which I found on the eenternet), hockey is the most popular sport after Pro football, Baseball, College football, Auto racing, Men’s pro basketball, Men’s college basketball, and Men’s golf). To that I say, whatever, Hockey as a sport is way more interesting than any of those. A bold statement, to be sure, but damn it all, somebody's gotta say it. [note: I may just be trying to pick a bro-fight here, so ignore the previous statement if desired] Seriously though, I've been playing a lot of hockey. I had forgotten exactly what about it I enjoyed so much in the last four years, but good god I love it. People percieve hockey as such a stupid sport, where people run each other into walls at high speeds and then turn around and start beating the crap out of each other in a fist fight. Of course, not everybody sees hockey in that light, but the fact that any number of people actually believes that is a travesty. The beauty of hockey lies in the required combination of two things: skill, and a resilient spirit. Obviously, you have to have strength in body as well, but first and foremost are those two factors. I like to think that playing hockey is my personal form of training my mind, body, and soul. It teaches you self control, awareness, and (for me at least) a certain sense of honor. You learn to stick up for yourself and your teammates, and that playing hard against a team is a way of showing them respect. Also, it's fun. Hahah.

Alright, I need to go call the Santa Cruz offices for jury duty. Sigh. Maybe I can act racist...no. I don't think I could do that if I tried. Bah, maybe I'll just do it. I am curious...

P.S. I just thought of this, but on a completely random note, a guy in Andhra Pradesh that is teleconferencing could be speaking in Tele-gu. O ho ho.