RO and I have a new roommate. She is a 60yo food broker. It's a little bit strange living with a 60yo woman. It feels a bit like my mom moved in with me. At the same time, she is very plesent.

It was a busy weekend. Saturday evening we went to a fundraiser for our bowling league. We donated some gift cards from the store to the league for the raffel.

All in all, it was fun, but RO and I ate too much cheese, wine and crackers.

Sunday we headed out to Mt. Reiner for a house warming part. Or rather, an estate warming party. A good friend of RO's bought 200 acres of view property with a large house. Mind you, it is two hours away from Seattle, but it is a beautiful setting. We ate more cheese, wine and crackers.

Monday we hung out at our place. Worked on the lawn, played video games, and sat in the sun. In the evening, we drove down to the lake front and watched the sun set. A good relaxing day.

The weather is beautiful out and I need a vacation. RO and I have both been burning the candle at both ends for too long. A week off would do us good. At the same time, so many things need to be done.

The 10 year party was fun. It was also big. There were hundreds of people.

Ten years ago, I worked for a company that was bought out and moved to Seattle by my current employer. It was my first real job after I finished school. I ran into most of my co-workers from then. We've aged.

Tonight is my 10th years party for my day job. Well, it's not just me. The company is big enough that many people have been here for 10 years. So, they rent a large space and through us all a party at once.

It feels weird to be a middle manager at a large company that I have been working at for a decade. I remember when I was going to be a beach bumm in Australia. I have become the man that youth rebels against.

Some kind of ass-kicking cold has been going around. You never feel very sick, but you have a runny nose, scratchy throat and are tired all the time. RO and I have had it for about a week. Several of my co-workers and friends are also sick with it.

RO hired someone to re-do our front lawn. He came and gave us an estimate. Then, a day later he called back and said his estimate was a thosand dollars more. RO agreed with the new estimate and paid him half down.

He did a day's work. The next day he called again and said his estimate was still to low. We canceled the contract. We have not got our money back.

Last weekend I got rid of my front lawn. I roto tilled it under. The grass was half dead. Large parts of the front lawn had no top soil under neath the turf. Plus, the firs that surround the lawn shead too my needles which make the spoil too acidic.

We are going to put in some kind of low maintenace garden. RO knows what he wants.

Last weekend I roto-tilled the lawn under. The lawn was half dead. Large parts of hit had no topsoil under the grass. Plus, the big fir trees all around it shead too many needles and make the soil too acid.

We are going to put in a low maintenance garden. I'm not sure of all the details, but RO knows what he wants.

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.

Spring has hit Seattle. The weather is beautiful out and I am feeling, well, "All work and no play..." Being a middle manager at work and then having to help out with RO and the store, it sucks up so much of my time and energy.

It's hard finding a balance. I'd like to do less at the store, but RO needs someone to prioritize and coach him. He gets so caught up in the day to day work at the store, that he sometimes neglects important things like paying bills.

My day job is going well. I have large amounts of freedom. Which is a good thing and a bad thing. If I do something wrong, work on the wrong things for example, no one will notice for months, maybe even longer. If it was just me, then I would be fine with that. But, people report to me and look to me for guidance. I could tank their careers.

I guess this is just whining. Once I remember hearing "No matter how great your triumphs or how deep your sorrows, approximately five billion people have never heard of you and don't give a shit. So get over yourself." My life is good, and I have no one to blame but myself for taking on so much responsibity.

It's still sunny out. I think I will go for a walk.

Years ago, C3 brought two east coast friends of his to Friday night dinner at Siam's. The friends were thinking about moving to Seattle. The dinner was nice, but I didn't keep in touch with the couple.

Skip forward six years. RO and I are in a bowling league, but we need two more players for our team. RO sent out many messages to locals on Bear 411. On Sunday, we met a couple who were interested in bowling.. They thought I looked familiar but couldn't place where they had seen me. Then Monday, before bowling, they remembered where we met-- dinner at Siam's many years ago. RO was a little disappointed. He was hoping we met at an orgy or a bath house.

RO and I attended a suprize wedding reception. One of the girls who works for the store, very quietly got married. Her boy friend is in the military and is heading back to Iraq in a few months. They got married at a court house. No fanfair, no reception, no gifts.

When our design manager found out, she decided to throw them a small party. Everyone brought a small gift.