The 2007 New Work Rules...

Received from e-mail forward - quite funny...
Dress Code
It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing new clothes , we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday & Sunday.

Toilet Use
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break
Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.

Your Management Team

What a great year!

It took longer than I had planned, but I was finally able to set an hour aside to select my favorite pictures from 2006. It's a good thing that Flickr has the feature to pull pictures from a date range of when they were taken. Two weeks later, here are my top 100. Feel free to check out my 2006 year review in pictures! As always Chicago is featured, my trip to Spain gave me many inspirational moments to snap away and who could forget the immigration reform marches. I hope you enjoy
Araceli Arroyo Pictures 2006 Year Review

Happy New Year - 2007

I am off to celebrate the welcoming of the new year with the family. Before I do I wanted to wish you all the best and hopefully some good fortune will come back my way in return. I look back at 2006 and am glad that I was able to keep some resolutions. Of course not all were completed but I am still on track. This coming year I plan to maintain on the right course and continue to have fun along the way. I never know where the road will take me but I plan to take notice of all my stops and enjoy them. After all that is what living life is about, enjoying the good times with everyone and supporting each other through the not so great ones with your friends and family. To all my friends and family - cheers to you and Happy New Year!

Saddam Hussein Executed

Saddam Hussein struggled briefly after American military guards handed him over to Iraqi executioners before dawn Saturday. But as his final moments approached and masked executioners slipped a black cloth and noose around his neck, he grew calm.

In a final moment of defiance, he refused a hood to cover his eyes. Hours after Saddam faced the same fate he was accused of inflicting on countless thousands during a quarter-century of ruthless power, Iraqi state television showed grainy video of what it said was his body, the head uncovered and the neck twisted at a sharp angle. | source: MSNBC

There is also video included in the report. I don't feel like watching it though. The description is graphic enough, I don't feel the need to see the video footage, although there is a small part of me that is curious. After hearing the verdict I assumed Saddam would be terminate via injection. I guess it's fitting to opt for the barbaric method he was accused for having many others go through. I am against the death penalty and feel humanity has no right to decide who shall like and who dies. Punishment is deserved and was desired it's just sad to see this in today's day and age.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a bit late to post but the holiday season is not over yet! Things have been crazy around the home front with all the gift buying and party planning, but fortunately the party event is over! The New Years Eve party will not be at our house and for once I'm glad. I love my family and all but boy is there a lot of work! Feel free to view a few more pics of me and the family. I hope all of you are spending your time with loved ones and are merry as well.

A White-tailed Deer

My intention was to go to the gym and hop on the treadmill for 30 mins and then another thirty on the eliptical machine. Due to the holiday the gym closed early and I didn't get to go in. I didn't want to lose my motivation and decided to go for a jog at a nearby forest preserve that I have never been through. Normally my hikes are with Charlie in Riverside. The one I went to was a bit more west in Countryside. I might be coming back to this one soon, during my jog a deer crossed my path. He was a cute guy, but a bit bigger than it seems from this picture. Next thing a hear are a bit more footsteps and then I spot three more! It was a family, who I'm sure were more scared of me than I was of them. They kept their distance but I was glad I had my phone and was able to get a few shots.

Christmas Shopping

I faced my fears and headed to the stores today. I will have a few more guests coming over to the house tomorrow and have to get gifts for them as well as a few other items for the party. To my surprise the crowds and lines were not that bad at all. This has been the case for all of our Christmas shopping outings this year I'm not sure if we are lucky, picked great hours to go shopping or what? I keep thinking that perhaps the spending is not as high as the news reporters say, people are more than likely shopping on line more. Whatever the case I am glad I am finally DONE! Now I have to worry about gift wrapping.

Santa Swing E-card

The funny Christmas e-cards have arrived. I received one today, though parental permission may be required if you are a young viewer. Check out Santa's Grotto in "Spin around the North Pole" in this Santa Swing E-card

Charlie Gets A Buzz-Cut

Just in case you were curious, I did end up giving my lil' pooch a fur trim this weekend. I think it took over an hour but Charles got a full cut. I trimmed his body fur, beard and even tail. He seemed to like it he didn't try to run away at all during the whole process. In the past he use to not let the trimmer get close to his ears, this time around he had no objections. Below are some before and after shots - there are more on flickr.

What To Do Today?

I've had four days of rest and I am bored. I've cleaned and have organized my home. I've edited and posted many pictures, heck I even went jogging last night. All things I am really glad I did. I just always have to keep busy and having four days away from the office or not traveling is causing me to be a bit restless. Normally I would log into my work e-mail and work a bit. This weekend I am not able to for the simple fact that I resigned and have been cut off the network. I guess I should finally give Charlie the fur trim he desperately needs and I have been to lazy to give.

It's such a beautiful day I might go for another jog with sir Charles in a few as well. It has actually been over a month since I went to our favorite hiking spot the Des Plaines river in Riverside, which is only 15 driving minutes away. I'm supposed to go see a movie with Carson later. The new James Bond movie is supposed to be pretty good. That reminds me I haven't been going to the movie theater as often. Now that the cold weather is coming that is pretty much the main thing to do for fun - aside from shopping of course.

That's enough thinking about what to do, I'm off to do something!

Another Real Black Friday

This year I did not prepare to wake up before the crack of dawn to attempt to get a hold of massive sales from the many retailers, which is now very commonly known as black Friday. I thought about it last night but didn't feel in the mood to wait in long lines and deal with pushy people. The official beginning of Christmas shopping season, has increasingly become chaotic year after year. Today the New York Times Headline reads...

Attention, Holiday Shoppers: We Have Fisticuffs in Aisle 2...
"Customers behaved badly across the country yesterday,
but the mayhem can be traced in part to an escalating battle among retailers to be the first to open their doors and offer the steepest must-have deals.
Many merchants angered shoppers by trumpeting huge discounts like $70 portable DVD players and $600 flat-screen televisions only to announce they were sold out moments after they opened. The fact that so many people were sleep-deprived probably didn't help."

I rather pay a few bucks more this year and maybe even shop online. I think it's actually quite sad that such trivial priorities cause such behavior in the US while half way across the world there has been substantial life loss. Sunni insurgents killed 215 people in BaghdadÂ?s main Shia district. I am saddened as I read another article from Bloomberg.com...

A car bombing killed at least 22 people in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar today as the death toll climbed to 202 from yesterday's explosions in Baghdad, the deadliest coordinated attacks since the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003. About 250 people were wounded.

Continua Los Exitos Para La Oreja

Acabo de leer mas noticias sobre la oreja, y es por eso que no me queda mas que distinguir este no solamente la semana de exito para la Oreja De Van Gogh pero todo el año. Sin duda alguna me comprare un regalito para esta navidad. La Argentinidad... Al Palo reporta que LODVG reedita ‘Guapa’ con 12 temas inéditos...

Antes de terminar el año, La Oreja de Van Gogh quiere regalar a sus fans un nuevo álbum, Más guapa, un doble CD que contiene además de las canciones de Guapa, 12 nuevos temas y versiones diferentes de los cortes ya conocidos del último disco. La banda donostiarra no ha querido dejar en el cajón de los recuerdos el resultado del trabajo de los últimos meses y por ello ha decidido editar las nuevas canciones en un disco que saldrá a la venta el próximo 5 de diciembre. Amaia Montero y los suyos atraviesan uno de sus mejores momentos. Acaban de regresar de una gira de 13 conciertos en Estados Unidos y han recibido el Grammy Latino 2006 al Mejor Álbum Pop. Además, han añadido nuevos directos a la gira española. La próxima actuación tendrá lugar el 1 de diciembre en el Velódromo de Anoeta de San Sebastián.

LOS DOCE NUEVOS TEMAS DE MÁS GUAPA
1. En mi lado del sofá
2. Nuestro mundo
3. Amores dormidos
4. Canción desesperada
5. Coronel
6. La paz de tus ojos
7. Nube
8. Despacio
9. Déjate llevar
10. Aquella ingrata
11. El árbol
12. Escalera a la luna

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my family, friends and life. Give your close ones a hug and share a hug with me the next time I see you.

La Oreja De Van Gogh Chicago Concert

LODVG came to rock out at the Vic last night and fufilled my high expectations. Granted I am biased towards this band, which is my favorite Spanish or English. The crowd jumped along with Amaia, the band's lead singer, and sang through many popular songs. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to get a good view, considering were my friends and I were in line as we waited for the doors from the Vic theater to open. Fortunately we found a spot over the first step, which was only a few feet from the stage.

I remember looking around me and absorbing the moment. I have to tell you it is the best feeling to be at a concert for a group you enjoy and who are also at their peak. I want to fly to their next tour city now! This concert will be remembered as one of my happy moments.

La Oreja canto casi todos sus nuevos exitos de su disco reciente - Guapa, pero tambien emociono el publico cantando sus mejores classicos, como 'Rosas'. Amaia pego todas sus notas comprovando su qualidad como cantante. Me asombre como fue tan sureal y parecido a su DVD de un concierto que tuvieron hace años en Madrid. Disfrute ahora ser parte de un gran concierto como fue el de a noche. Todavia sueño con volver a verlos, pero me encantariar verlos en su pais de España.

Thanks to a recent myspace friend here is a clip of the concert. After a couple minutes of screams from the crowd pleading for an encore, LODVG came back to play two additional songs. Shown in this clip is one of their most successful singles - "Rosas".

Seven Years Of Service

I packed the last seven years of my office belongings into a box today. I left a few items behind but threw out a substantial amount of knick-knacks, papers, books, files etc. It has been a bit hard to realize that I will no longer see the same people I had come accustomed to see on a daily basis. I’ve seen many people come and go during my tenure and it feels funny to be one of them now. Everyone has been great and told me how much they will miss me. All are supportive and have warm wishes, I'll miss them as well. I have never published where I work, there is no need to do so now. Tomorrow is my last day with the company – I look forward to a new beginning with my new employer.

My New Nephew

My sister finally delivered her second baby - five days after his due date. I left work a bit early, picked my mom and headed towards the hospital this evening. Due to traffic and crappy weather we didn't get there till seven pm. Visiting hours ended at eight in the evening but we decided to stick around until they kicked us out. The nurses hadn't brought the baby by and we were eager to see him.

I'm glad we stuck around, a few minutes before the time I had designated to wait till my little nephew was brought in. A few minutes after that my camera phone was already aiming at the cute kid :)

Where's The Baby???

I'm excited to welcome the new addition to our family the only problem is that he's not here yet. My sister's due date was yesterday and now we are all on high alert for that time to come. I feel bad for my poor sister though, everyone keeps calling asking if she has had the baby yet. It seems this baby is very comfortable in his mom's womb and hasn't shown any signs of wanting to come out. Perhaps he wants to wait until his room was completed. My sister changed the carpeting in Julian's room and had to wait for the installation this weekend. I'm not sure if she is going to stick with the name she and her hubby were thinking about. So far I've just been calling him peanut. We are going shopping later, I think I'll get peanut a welcome home gift - Let the spoiling begin!!

I missed the Latin Grammys

Last night my friend 'L' and I had rsvp'd to a Latin Grammy award ceremony party. Unfortunately it seems the turn out was so great that the viewing section was filled to capacity. We were sent to the upper section of Bravo's Tapa's bar to await access. Unfortunately I only had an hour to spare, since I had accepted another invitation to go to a comedy show clear across town. AT least we made the best of it and ordered and enjoyed some delicious tapas and wine.

I was looking forward to see if my favorite band - La Oreja De VanGogh (LODVG) won any of their three nominations. I was waiting for my friend when I overheard one of the categories come up and heard that LODVG won for best pop album by duo or group. Congrats! I can't wait to see them live. I've already purchased my tickets for their upcoming concert in three weeks.

Unfortunately I did miss many performances and presentations, but I caught some highlights through the Grammy website and highlights on MTV3. It seems it was Shakira's night she won Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Album. I hope the replay the entire show this weekend. I had fun last night anyway, the comedians at Riddlers were great and I'm glad I went.

Carousel Ride

It's moments like these when I wish I were a kid again. I don't even remember how much fun it truly was to ride a wooden horse on a carousel. By the excited look on my nephew's face it apparently is wonderful. I love seeing things through his eyes, things are usually more fun that way.

Spam Attack

I don't think I've been as annoyed with spam as I am now. My domain has been hacked, I keep getting e-mail messages for non-delivered e-mails that I DO NOT SEND. In addition to that I have a form on my freelance site that has been hijacked. I keep getting fake quote request filled with links for products and other nonsensical garbage. I hate that I will have to spend my weekend either adding more validation on my forms or adding more server-side code to combat this internet spam. I truly feel bad for the recipients of these e-mails that are coming from my domain. The sad part is that I just renewed my domain for another three years, so I really wouldn't want to cancel it. I think I will have to place a call to my hosting provider as well :(