I always wondered why 'rich' people worried about their millions. I always assumed that they shouldn't miss much if they lost a small % of their fortune.
And now I find it oddly peculiar; the more money I have, the more I'm concerned about my money. I worried about money when I only had 2 to 3 digits in my savings account. When I had four digits, I didn't really worry about anything. Now I'm worried again after hitting the 5 digits range. Strange.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Perspectives
When I first heard of Father Joe's Village (FJV), a local homeless non-profit, the descriptions ranged widely between scores of praise and simply unflattering comments. While I didn't have any first hand experience, the negative rumors hinted that the large agency was pushing its weight across the homeless community.
FJV undoubtedly had a substantially larger operating budget than any other program, which it used with great efficiency in serving the homeless. However, since it was an agency competing against the same funding sources as those of the smaller (and usually less efficient) programs, the organization made a few enemies. The method of rewarding funds seemed like a self perpetuating cycle where grants with money get more money and a Catch 22 for those that don't have money. Anyways, that's another topic entirely.
Before I go further, let me give some background information. I work for a homeless non-profit agency (RTFH) that felt the pressure of competing with FJV for the same funding source. We had a homeless management information system (ServicePoint) that was in competition with their database (CSTAR). The problem was that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) only wanted one report (which would require only one database or a lot of work merging data between multiple databases).
When I first worked at RTFH, I avoided the politics as much as I could simply because I knew I didn't have the stomach for it. I'm not sure exactly what transpired, but whenever my agency would meet with FJV, it seemed physically and emotionally draining on everyone involved. Even though I had never dealt with any of the staff at FJV, I felt for my coworkers, whom looked so exhausted after each meeting. I continued to hear more rumors and a part of me began to build resentment against the giant agency.
My first encounter with some of the FJV staff was at Atlanta, Georgia. After a day of HUD conferences, we happened to run into each other at a bar. I sat down and had my first opportunity to talk with them. I was genuinely surprised. They seemed like very nice people and it dispelled many of the rumors that I initially heard. It's easy to talk about a stranger behind their back, but it's difficult to do when you have a face to a name.
As time passed by and large staff turnover happened, I inevitably worked more and more with FJV's staff. After a couple years of working together, and from what I've personally seen, their staff were always professional, kind, patient, and good natured.
An exemplary example of their character was at a committee hearing that questioned the capabilities of RTFH to complete its contracts in a timely and accurate manner. We had no executive director, a part-time (although very amazing and knowledgable) associate director, and three full time IT staff (with only one that had an IT degree and whom no one had more than two years experience). One of our the IT staff was just hired. Our reports in the past did not have a good reputation. The situation looked very grim.
The smart business move would have been to capitalize on your opponents when they're down on the ground. Without our small agency, FJV's CSTAR database could have taken over all of our city/state/federal grants, received a lot more money, and it would have been a lot less work for them (since no data merging between systems would be required).
However, FJV and their staff did just the opposite; in the spirit of cooperation, they offered to fill in the technical expertise that RTFH lacked, handed over the work that they tediously created, and trained RTFH staff on how to use/modify their reports. At that point, I worked with them long enough to understand that they were genuinely good people, yet I was still slightly shocked at the kindness of their actions.
I'm not here to promote an agency or a program. What does this mean to me personally? When I look back, I can't believe that I believed some of the things I heard. I feel a bit of shame buying into the rumors. Rumors seem to start and usually have just enough of a hint of truthfulness that it becomes dangerous.
I sometimes forget that life is just so different. This isn't the movies. There's no black and white, no good and bad. It's more complicated than that. There's just different perspectives, and sometimes, our perspectives are wrong. I guess that's what makes us human. We all make mistakes and we all try to learn from them.
FJV undoubtedly had a substantially larger operating budget than any other program, which it used with great efficiency in serving the homeless. However, since it was an agency competing against the same funding sources as those of the smaller (and usually less efficient) programs, the organization made a few enemies. The method of rewarding funds seemed like a self perpetuating cycle where grants with money get more money and a Catch 22 for those that don't have money. Anyways, that's another topic entirely.
Before I go further, let me give some background information. I work for a homeless non-profit agency (RTFH) that felt the pressure of competing with FJV for the same funding source. We had a homeless management information system (ServicePoint) that was in competition with their database (CSTAR). The problem was that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) only wanted one report (which would require only one database or a lot of work merging data between multiple databases).
When I first worked at RTFH, I avoided the politics as much as I could simply because I knew I didn't have the stomach for it. I'm not sure exactly what transpired, but whenever my agency would meet with FJV, it seemed physically and emotionally draining on everyone involved. Even though I had never dealt with any of the staff at FJV, I felt for my coworkers, whom looked so exhausted after each meeting. I continued to hear more rumors and a part of me began to build resentment against the giant agency.
My first encounter with some of the FJV staff was at Atlanta, Georgia. After a day of HUD conferences, we happened to run into each other at a bar. I sat down and had my first opportunity to talk with them. I was genuinely surprised. They seemed like very nice people and it dispelled many of the rumors that I initially heard. It's easy to talk about a stranger behind their back, but it's difficult to do when you have a face to a name.
As time passed by and large staff turnover happened, I inevitably worked more and more with FJV's staff. After a couple years of working together, and from what I've personally seen, their staff were always professional, kind, patient, and good natured.
An exemplary example of their character was at a committee hearing that questioned the capabilities of RTFH to complete its contracts in a timely and accurate manner. We had no executive director, a part-time (although very amazing and knowledgable) associate director, and three full time IT staff (with only one that had an IT degree and whom no one had more than two years experience). One of our the IT staff was just hired. Our reports in the past did not have a good reputation. The situation looked very grim.
The smart business move would have been to capitalize on your opponents when they're down on the ground. Without our small agency, FJV's CSTAR database could have taken over all of our city/state/federal grants, received a lot more money, and it would have been a lot less work for them (since no data merging between systems would be required).
However, FJV and their staff did just the opposite; in the spirit of cooperation, they offered to fill in the technical expertise that RTFH lacked, handed over the work that they tediously created, and trained RTFH staff on how to use/modify their reports. At that point, I worked with them long enough to understand that they were genuinely good people, yet I was still slightly shocked at the kindness of their actions.
I'm not here to promote an agency or a program. What does this mean to me personally? When I look back, I can't believe that I believed some of the things I heard. I feel a bit of shame buying into the rumors. Rumors seem to start and usually have just enough of a hint of truthfulness that it becomes dangerous.
I sometimes forget that life is just so different. This isn't the movies. There's no black and white, no good and bad. It's more complicated than that. There's just different perspectives, and sometimes, our perspectives are wrong. I guess that's what makes us human. We all make mistakes and we all try to learn from them.
Monday, August 9, 2010
An amazing week
Sometimes you have that perfect day. Sometimes you have that perfect week. This was one of those memorable weeks.
My younger brother and his girlfriend visited from Nebraska last Friday/Saturday, the beginning of my weeklong break. They had my truck and returned it intact after a cross country trip; that was already a great start. As usual, I found their good humor refreshing. Hours after my brother left, I saw some Peace Corps friends who have been living as dorm parents in Shanghai. They were such amazing company and I got to show them around a little of San Diego.
Monday through Wednesday I went to visit my parents and some high school friends up in Reedley. It happened to be one of my cousin's birthdays so there was a lot of good food. Wednesday night I happened to come back in time to meet up with some other coworkers in my building for happy hour. Thursday I drove up to Vegas with a friend; he had an annual gaming convention up there, though I honestly went for the open bar and pool party. We stayed there until Saturday. Sunday I recovered by playing a lot of Starcraft 2.
After much thought, on Monday I put in my two weeks notice to leave my company. I've had a job offer from another company hours after my notice was sent and I haven't even sent out my resume yet. However, I don't plan on taking it. I plan on taking time out to study for the GRE for graduate school; I'm hoping to get into a Public Health and Policy program. Sometimes life shouldn't be planned. Sometimes life should have that free fall moment, where things should just happen for that moment and nothing else.
Life is looking good. I have a lot in savings and hope to make the most use out of my newfound free time. I hope that my application to be a janitor in Antarctica gets approved. My lease for my apartment is up in January and I want to travel or do something new by next year, whatever that may be.
My younger brother and his girlfriend visited from Nebraska last Friday/Saturday, the beginning of my weeklong break. They had my truck and returned it intact after a cross country trip; that was already a great start. As usual, I found their good humor refreshing. Hours after my brother left, I saw some Peace Corps friends who have been living as dorm parents in Shanghai. They were such amazing company and I got to show them around a little of San Diego.
Monday through Wednesday I went to visit my parents and some high school friends up in Reedley. It happened to be one of my cousin's birthdays so there was a lot of good food. Wednesday night I happened to come back in time to meet up with some other coworkers in my building for happy hour. Thursday I drove up to Vegas with a friend; he had an annual gaming convention up there, though I honestly went for the open bar and pool party. We stayed there until Saturday. Sunday I recovered by playing a lot of Starcraft 2.
After much thought, on Monday I put in my two weeks notice to leave my company. I've had a job offer from another company hours after my notice was sent and I haven't even sent out my resume yet. However, I don't plan on taking it. I plan on taking time out to study for the GRE for graduate school; I'm hoping to get into a Public Health and Policy program. Sometimes life shouldn't be planned. Sometimes life should have that free fall moment, where things should just happen for that moment and nothing else.
Life is looking good. I have a lot in savings and hope to make the most use out of my newfound free time. I hope that my application to be a janitor in Antarctica gets approved. My lease for my apartment is up in January and I want to travel or do something new by next year, whatever that may be.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Altitude Sickness
I took a few more languid steps, then stopped again to catch my breath. At 11,000 ft of elevation, my head felt swollen and each additional movement felt like a hammer pounding against my skull. With only 500 ft. of elevation gain left, we would summit the mountain. After 5 arduous hours of steadily climbing uphill, I didn't want to turn around when we were so close.
However, I couldn't physically keep going either. For the past mile, I felt dizzy and nauseous. As I kept pushing myself, my chest started feeling pains. It was shortly followed with some dry heaving. I finally asked my partner to hike up ahead so she could summit while I would wait in the cool shade. She declined, insisting that we head back down immediately. I reluctantly agreed and we started the 8 mile journey downhill.
I've been on hikes up to 10,000 ft elevation before and would consistently get headaches. However, whenever I started the descent, I would immediately feel better. Any signs of altitude sickness would pass by the time I descended a few thousand feet. This wasn't the case.
Going down, my body still felt so depleted of oxygen that I would need breaks to catch my breath. To make matters worse, the dry heaving and headache didn't stop. My stomach started to knot up in pain. It wasn't an easy descent, but we finally made it to the car. The headache and shortness of breath lingered even when I was sitting in the car.
After a hot meal and a good nights rest, I still felt the effects of altitude sickness. My mind felt slow and I had trouble thinking. I made a visit to the doctor and took the remaining part of the day off work.
As I laid on my couch drinking gatorade, I watched "North Face", a movie about two German climbers and their daring ascent of the north face of the Swiss massif - The Eiger. It was a gripping story.
I look at the climbing gear in 1932, with no synthetic materials to wick away sweat, no carbon fiber ice picks, and no climbing helmets. Climbing has come a long way since then. Despite the advances in technology, Mother Nature is still as fierce and real as ever.
However, I couldn't physically keep going either. For the past mile, I felt dizzy and nauseous. As I kept pushing myself, my chest started feeling pains. It was shortly followed with some dry heaving. I finally asked my partner to hike up ahead so she could summit while I would wait in the cool shade. She declined, insisting that we head back down immediately. I reluctantly agreed and we started the 8 mile journey downhill.
I've been on hikes up to 10,000 ft elevation before and would consistently get headaches. However, whenever I started the descent, I would immediately feel better. Any signs of altitude sickness would pass by the time I descended a few thousand feet. This wasn't the case.
Going down, my body still felt so depleted of oxygen that I would need breaks to catch my breath. To make matters worse, the dry heaving and headache didn't stop. My stomach started to knot up in pain. It wasn't an easy descent, but we finally made it to the car. The headache and shortness of breath lingered even when I was sitting in the car.
After a hot meal and a good nights rest, I still felt the effects of altitude sickness. My mind felt slow and I had trouble thinking. I made a visit to the doctor and took the remaining part of the day off work.
As I laid on my couch drinking gatorade, I watched "North Face", a movie about two German climbers and their daring ascent of the north face of the Swiss massif - The Eiger. It was a gripping story.
I look at the climbing gear in 1932, with no synthetic materials to wick away sweat, no carbon fiber ice picks, and no climbing helmets. Climbing has come a long way since then. Despite the advances in technology, Mother Nature is still as fierce and real as ever.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Neat quote
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Dr. Howard Thurman
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Fridge Life
Found this neat article on fridge life. I really should be cooking more now that I have a home.
http://www.mint.com/blog/saving/storing-produce-07072010/
Apples
Store on the counter. Move any uneaten apples to the refrigerator after seven days. In the fridge or out, don’t store near most other uncovered fruits or vegetables — the ethylene gases produced by apples can ruin them (making carrots bitter, for example). The exception: if you want to ripen plums, pears and other fruits quickly, put an apple nearby for a day or so.
Artichoke
Refrigerate whole for up to two weeks.
Asparagus
Store upright in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with either an inch of water or with a damp towel wrapped around the base, just like you would have flowers in a vase. They’ll last three to four days that way.
Avocados
Ripen on the counter. Can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days once ripe.
Bananas
Store on the counter. Refrigerate only when ripe — they’ll last for another two days or so.
Beets
Remove green tops an inch or two above the crown. Refrigerate beets in a plastic bag to prevent moisture loss, which leads to wilting. (They’ll last seven to 10 days.) Refrigerate greens separately, also in a plastic bag.
Berries
Grower Driscoll’s recommends refrigerating berries, unwashed and in their original container. Blueberries and strawberries should keep for five to seven days; more fragile raspberries and blackberries up to two days.
Broccoli
Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag. It’ll keep for three to five days.
Carrots
Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag for up to three weeks.
Cauliflower
Refrigerate, stem side down, in a sealed plastic bag. It’ll last three to five days.
Celery
Refrigerate one to two weeks in a sealed bag. Keep in the front of the refrigerator, where it’s less apt to freeze.
Citrus fruits
Store oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit on the counter. They can last up to two weeks.
Corn
Refrigerate ears still in the husk. They’ll last up to two days.
Cucumbers
Refrigerate, either in the crisper or in a plastic bag elsewhere in the fridge. They’ll last four to five days.
Garlic
Store in the pantry, or any similar location away from heat and light. It’ll last up to four months.
Green beans
Refrigerate in a plastic bag for three to four days.
Green onions
Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Herbs
Fresh herbs can last seven to 10 days in the refrigerator. “When I use fresh herbs and store them in my refrigerator at home, I keep them in air-tight containers with a damp paper towel on the top and bottom,” says Raymond Southern, the executive chef at The Back Bay Hotel in Boston. “This keeps them fresh.”
Leafy greens
Refrigerate unwashed. Full heads will last five to seven days that way, instead of three to four days for a thoroughly drained one. Avoid storing in the same drawer as apples, pears or bananas, which release ethylene gases that act as a natural ripening agent.
Mushrooms
Take out of the package and store in a paper bag in the refrigerator, or place on a tray and cover with a wet paper towel. They’ll last two to three days.
Onions
Stored in the pantry, away from light and heat, they’ll last three to four weeks.
Peaches
Ripen on the counter in a paper bag punched with holes, away from sunlight. Keep peaches (as well as plums and nectarines) on the counter until ripe, and then refrigerate. They’ll last another three to four days.
Pears
Store on the counter, ideally, in a bowl with bananas and apples, and then refrigerate after ripening. They’ll last another three to four days.
Peas
Refrigerated in a plastic bag perforated with holes, they’ll last three to five days.
Peppers
Refrigerated, they’ll last four to five days.
Potatoes
Store them in the pantry away from sunlight and heat, and they’ll last two to three months.
Radishes
Refrigerate. They’ll last 10 to 14 days.
Summer squash
Refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag. They’ll last four to five days.
Tomatoes
Spread them out on the counter out of direct sunlight for even ripening. After ripening, store stem side down in the refrigerator and they’ll last two to three days.
Tropical fruit
Mangoes, papayas, pineapples and kiwifruit should be ripened on the counter. Kat Bretcher of Cottonwood, Ariz., ripens mangos in a paper bag in a cool place, and then refrigerates them for another two to five days.
Watermelon
Kept at room temperature on the counter, it’ll last up to two weeks, Bretcher says.
Winter squashes
Store on the counter for up to two weeks.
http://www.mint.com/blog/saving/storing-produce-07072010/
Apples
Store on the counter. Move any uneaten apples to the refrigerator after seven days. In the fridge or out, don’t store near most other uncovered fruits or vegetables — the ethylene gases produced by apples can ruin them (making carrots bitter, for example). The exception: if you want to ripen plums, pears and other fruits quickly, put an apple nearby for a day or so.
Artichoke
Refrigerate whole for up to two weeks.
Asparagus
Store upright in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with either an inch of water or with a damp towel wrapped around the base, just like you would have flowers in a vase. They’ll last three to four days that way.
Avocados
Ripen on the counter. Can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days once ripe.
Bananas
Store on the counter. Refrigerate only when ripe — they’ll last for another two days or so.
Beets
Remove green tops an inch or two above the crown. Refrigerate beets in a plastic bag to prevent moisture loss, which leads to wilting. (They’ll last seven to 10 days.) Refrigerate greens separately, also in a plastic bag.
Berries
Grower Driscoll’s recommends refrigerating berries, unwashed and in their original container. Blueberries and strawberries should keep for five to seven days; more fragile raspberries and blackberries up to two days.
Broccoli
Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag. It’ll keep for three to five days.
Carrots
Refrigerate in a sealed plastic bag for up to three weeks.
Cauliflower
Refrigerate, stem side down, in a sealed plastic bag. It’ll last three to five days.
Celery
Refrigerate one to two weeks in a sealed bag. Keep in the front of the refrigerator, where it’s less apt to freeze.
Citrus fruits
Store oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit on the counter. They can last up to two weeks.
Corn
Refrigerate ears still in the husk. They’ll last up to two days.
Cucumbers
Refrigerate, either in the crisper or in a plastic bag elsewhere in the fridge. They’ll last four to five days.
Garlic
Store in the pantry, or any similar location away from heat and light. It’ll last up to four months.
Green beans
Refrigerate in a plastic bag for three to four days.
Green onions
Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Herbs
Fresh herbs can last seven to 10 days in the refrigerator. “When I use fresh herbs and store them in my refrigerator at home, I keep them in air-tight containers with a damp paper towel on the top and bottom,” says Raymond Southern, the executive chef at The Back Bay Hotel in Boston. “This keeps them fresh.”
Leafy greens
Refrigerate unwashed. Full heads will last five to seven days that way, instead of three to four days for a thoroughly drained one. Avoid storing in the same drawer as apples, pears or bananas, which release ethylene gases that act as a natural ripening agent.
Mushrooms
Take out of the package and store in a paper bag in the refrigerator, or place on a tray and cover with a wet paper towel. They’ll last two to three days.
Onions
Stored in the pantry, away from light and heat, they’ll last three to four weeks.
Peaches
Ripen on the counter in a paper bag punched with holes, away from sunlight. Keep peaches (as well as plums and nectarines) on the counter until ripe, and then refrigerate. They’ll last another three to four days.
Pears
Store on the counter, ideally, in a bowl with bananas and apples, and then refrigerate after ripening. They’ll last another three to four days.
Peas
Refrigerated in a plastic bag perforated with holes, they’ll last three to five days.
Peppers
Refrigerated, they’ll last four to five days.
Potatoes
Store them in the pantry away from sunlight and heat, and they’ll last two to three months.
Radishes
Refrigerate. They’ll last 10 to 14 days.
Summer squash
Refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag. They’ll last four to five days.
Tomatoes
Spread them out on the counter out of direct sunlight for even ripening. After ripening, store stem side down in the refrigerator and they’ll last two to three days.
Tropical fruit
Mangoes, papayas, pineapples and kiwifruit should be ripened on the counter. Kat Bretcher of Cottonwood, Ariz., ripens mangos in a paper bag in a cool place, and then refrigerates them for another two to five days.
Watermelon
Kept at room temperature on the counter, it’ll last up to two weeks, Bretcher says.
Winter squashes
Store on the counter for up to two weeks.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Believing in Fate
Tomorrow's an important day. I have an interview for the Technical Manager position at my non-profit. If I get the job, I switch to management and we hire someone to replace me as one of the data analyst / database administrator. I would step far outside my comfort zone both in my current abilities and ideology.
Society seems to place a high status on managers, though I never really understood the reasons why. While I don't think of managers as the grossly inept people commonly portrayed in the mass media, I did think that a small professional staff could easily write off a manager as unnecessary overhead. Plus, I thought middle management was an antediluvian concept.
A couple events recently changed my mind. First, my boss went on vacation for a week. It was the end of the quarter/fiscal year so our staff should have all been busy. Without getting into the details, the office instantly turned into a wreck. I guess you don't appreciate someone for what they do until they're gone. Up until this point, I hadn't yet realized that my boss was the glue holding us together. After she came back, she was able to quickly bring the team back into a cohesive unit.
I also recently read "It's Your Ship" by D. Michael Abrashoff, a recommendation by my roommate, and it's helped change my perspective on what management means. I think the term management has a negative stigma associated with it; I think people still think of it as the "We do this because I'm the boss and I said so" mentality. As I read the book, I noticed the subtle, yet powerful messages that a manager can send to those around him/her. If I hadn't just seen my boss' invisible hand fix our company, my pessimistic self would have written it off as 'management bullshit'.
If you asked me a couple weeks ago whether I would hire an intelligent programmer or a competent manager, I would have easily chosen the programmer. They produce tangible results that you can see. Now, after seeing the crippling effects that even one negative employee can have on staff (and its negative effects on productivity), I would have to pick the competent, down to earth manager.
Although I believe in the company's mission, I'm still a selfish person. If I don't get this position, I think my time with this company would be closely approaching an end. I would want to stay around long enough so that the company can hire new employees, have them become proficiently trained, and then I really would wish them the best. I feel like I haven't challenged myself recently and I owe it to myself to do so, whether it's this new position or by facing the unknown again. I think fate will decide whether I get this position and where my life will go from there.
Society seems to place a high status on managers, though I never really understood the reasons why. While I don't think of managers as the grossly inept people commonly portrayed in the mass media, I did think that a small professional staff could easily write off a manager as unnecessary overhead. Plus, I thought middle management was an antediluvian concept.
A couple events recently changed my mind. First, my boss went on vacation for a week. It was the end of the quarter/fiscal year so our staff should have all been busy. Without getting into the details, the office instantly turned into a wreck. I guess you don't appreciate someone for what they do until they're gone. Up until this point, I hadn't yet realized that my boss was the glue holding us together. After she came back, she was able to quickly bring the team back into a cohesive unit.
I also recently read "It's Your Ship" by D. Michael Abrashoff, a recommendation by my roommate, and it's helped change my perspective on what management means. I think the term management has a negative stigma associated with it; I think people still think of it as the "We do this because I'm the boss and I said so" mentality. As I read the book, I noticed the subtle, yet powerful messages that a manager can send to those around him/her. If I hadn't just seen my boss' invisible hand fix our company, my pessimistic self would have written it off as 'management bullshit'.
If you asked me a couple weeks ago whether I would hire an intelligent programmer or a competent manager, I would have easily chosen the programmer. They produce tangible results that you can see. Now, after seeing the crippling effects that even one negative employee can have on staff (and its negative effects on productivity), I would have to pick the competent, down to earth manager.
Although I believe in the company's mission, I'm still a selfish person. If I don't get this position, I think my time with this company would be closely approaching an end. I would want to stay around long enough so that the company can hire new employees, have them become proficiently trained, and then I really would wish them the best. I feel like I haven't challenged myself recently and I owe it to myself to do so, whether it's this new position or by facing the unknown again. I think fate will decide whether I get this position and where my life will go from there.
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