Uusally I eat my lunch in the cafeteria with same group of co-workers. Today brough my lunch in from home and ate it in my office.

I didn't realize it, but there is a bring-your-lunch-from-home clique. Mostly they are frugle people-- those trying to save every last sent to retire early or put the kids the college. When one of them saw me reheating my lunch at the microwave he said, half joking, "So you decided you needed more money in your 401K?"

After lunch one of my cafeteria-clique co-workers walked by my office. She saw the empty plastic container and asked me if I was going to abandon my cafeteria friends.

Ah, the strange politics of work.

I am not improving at bowling. This is frustrating. I have my own custom fitted ball now and my last game was my worst. Oh well.

Last night RO and I went to Sandy's "Mankind Project New Warrior Training Adventure "welcome home" celebration" Basically last weekend Sandy went camping with twenty initiates and fourty councelors. They went through some kind of proprietary secret retual were they all achieved a personal transormation. The following Friday, yesterday, they had a graduation ceremony and now Sandy is a full member of that community.

They really like to talk about their feelings, never anything substatnive They talked about their feelings for hours. Dozens of people took the talking stick and gabbed about their feelings.

And hugged.

That also laughed at anything that was vaguley funny.

It was very very strange. RO whispered to me that he wanted to grab the talking stick and run.

I have problems with these new-age self help kind of things. They are so damn selfish. They don't help you grow up and be a better persion. They help you feel like you are a better person through mantra's and rituals where you say over and over again how much of a better person you are.

As RO said. "If you want to be a better person, go volunteer for something. Feed the homeless. Spend time with the elderly. Be a big brother. Don't spend your time stairing at your navel and telling others you won't understand unless you spend the bucks and attend your own New Warior weekend."

Loves Landing.

Loves Landing is a neighborhood bar off Airport way in Renton. Mark says the crowd is like a high school crowd that forgot they had grown up.

Loves Landing has two claims to fame. First claim are their burgers. They are excellent. Big, tasty and on a fine and fresh bun.

Second claim is that they have kareoke every night. Some of the singers are not that bad.

I recommend it.

Grilled Asparagus and Chicken Salad for two.

Wash and oil about 8 stocks of asparagus. Cut to get rid of the woody parts. Wash and oil a shitaki mushroom. Cut into eights.

Wash and oil and season four chicken thighs.

Warm up the grill. Set it to indirect heat.

Start grilling the chicken and asparagus. Close the cover.

Three minutes later flip the chicken and asparagus. Add the mushrooms to the grill. Close the cover.

Three minutes later flip the chicken, asparagus and mushrooms. Close the cover.

Three minutes later, check that the chicken has hit 160F.

Slice the chicken.

Arrange the chicken, mushrooms and asparagus on two plates of mixed greens. Add a few orange slices. Dress with a good dressing.

For the past two days I've been on a leadership course for work. It's ok-- a bit stressfull. I'm not used to being in work mode from dawn to dusk.

We got to hear a few interesting speakers, learnt about some of the 'visionary' aspects of our company and how our business actually earns money. It was fun.

Sunday evening RO and I went to his sisters for Easter dinner. We played pictionary. That family, RO in particular, loves to argue.

At one point we spent a good twenty minutes arguing over the exact protocol that the teams would use to prove they guesed the correct mystery word and not some phrase that contained that word.

At my day job we are planning and scheduling. I don't enjoy this part of my job. The slightest unknown can through all my plans out the window.

Plus, it's very boring to spec out, cost and prioritize dozens of little features.