Still Living In The Dorms

New Blog

2009-06-07T23:36:00.002-04:00

New blog site- http://jeffspain.wordpress.com

Only one post up there that explains the change. This blog will be left up for the time being but hoping to shift everything over to the new page.

As always and hopefully for the future, thanks for reading...

Jeff vs. The Hurdle

2009-06-04T22:55:00.003-04:00

The events that transpired this morning may just have given me the opening scene to the movie about my life. Here's how it would go in script form:

EXT. COLLEGE TRACK- DAY

"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who is playing in the background of this scene. (If you don't know the song, here's the YouTube link you can play in the background as you read below)

Very early morning. Sun is bright at a low angle as it has recently risen. Temperature is brisk outside. Dew is still on the grass. Camera pans down to a group of 20 people spread out at the far end of the track. They're warming up for their upcoming boot camp exercise class.

WORKOUT TRAINER
Ok, let's get started

Individual/small group shots of the various people working out are shown. Most are in distress, having a look on their face of "Why is she doing this to us?" Some are troopers and fighting through the pain. Random comments and groans are thrown about the crowd.

JEFF (V.O. (voiceover))
I am not a morning person. Will never claim to be. Sure, at 6 AM, there have been moments of alertness over my 30 years of being on this earth. But after jumping jacks, running planks, bleacher climbs, and endless squats, alertness, clarity, and well, just about every ability related to my mind goes out the window.

JEFF is still not seen as the camera continues to pan through the increasing pain. The WORKOUT TRAINER demonstrates with ease the different exercises she wants the group to do. The WORKOUT TRAINER only counts in two sets of 10 as if she's enjoying the fact that once she gets to 10, she starts over again at 1. Also along the way, the WORKOUT TRAINER is very supportive giving good comments to the group and individuals.

JEFF (V.O.)
We've all been there. You're barely awake but there's still an enjoyment in the air. The sky holds some broken, sweeping clouds. Birds are chirping in the distance...

Camera pans to WORKOUT TRAINER in the middle of the voiceover.

WORKOUT TRAINER (in the background but still audible)
Sidesteps around the track!

WORKOUT TRAINER demonstrates three of four sidesteps

WORKOUT TRAINER (in the background)
Watch out for the hurdles!

The workout group staggers out onto the track. The camera starts a large pan into the group.

JEFF (Continuing V.O.)
... you know, one of those moments where you look up at the sky and think, 'This is a beautiful day."

The group continues their side steps. Some get ahead of others. The camera gets closer to the group. It slowly starts at the back and pans through different people's faces.

JEFF (V.O.)
You know, I probably shouldn't have put that much thought into the sky or the birds or the clouds. Especially at 6 in the morning. Should have paid more attention to reality...

Camera centers in on JEFF who doesn't look too winded, sidestepping along with ease.

Camera steps back to see JEFF suddenly sidestep onto the crossbar at the bottom end of a hurdle. He looks down, not fully aware of what's happening. His feet start to get caught up. With full force, his body starts to fall into the hurdle as it falls towards the ground.

Writer/Director note- make sure that the song is exactly at 7:46 for this next part.

Camera freezes on JEFF's face midway through his tumbling towards the earth. It's a face of surprise with signs of angst.

JEFF
Hi, my name is Jeff, and this is my life.

JEFF continues to not exactly know what is happening. His feet become tangled. His body twists towards the direction his force is moving. He puts his hands up to try and stop the fall. They do a fairly good job of absorbing the impact. But his face smacks flat into the track with his mouth literally becoming one with the track gravel. His head bounces off the track.

JEFF puts his hands underneath him and pushes himself off the ground. Other workout people start to come to help.

JEFF (V.O.)
One random event after another. I swear there have about 100 random incidents in my life where, if there were a home video camera on me, I'd win that $100,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos. You've just witness number 101.

JEFF continues to get up, checking for blood near his lip and nose. He also checks the fake front tooth he has to make sure it wasn't broken. It's fine. Some of the workout group assure him he's not bleeding.

JEFF (V.O)
The things that go through my head I also wish could be recorded. Take for example that the only thing I was thinking as my head ricocheted off the ground was, "Wow, that track is pretty spongy. I barely even felt that faceplant".

JEFF continues to dust the red gravel off his hands and knees. His face not only becomes red from embarrassment but also from the red gravel he picked up as makeup as he made out with the ground.

JEFF (smiling)
I'm ok. Just a little scratched up.

JEFF continues to sidestep on.

JEFF (V.O.)
Oh, and as you'll learn, I've had a ton of great jobs. From wearing a Tiger costume to docking boats and pumping out their, wait, knowing my life, this is a PG rated movie. I bring this up because I've just picked up another job, removing the hurdles from the track before workout class.

END OF SCENE

Much more editing that needs to happen but it's a first draft on what was an interesting morning:-)

Thanks for reading...

Chris and Stacy's Graduation

2009-06-04T22:31:00.003-04:00

4 years of Law School. To me it seems like yesterday that the family was sitting on the Loyola Marymount lawn watching him graduate from undergrad. But here we are, 4 years later, and Chris is officially a lawyer.

But let's not forget the Kobe to his Shaq, the Joe Torre to his Derek Jeter, the Jim Halpern to his Michael Scott, the Oprah to his Rachel Ray... Congrats to Stacy for graduating too! Also, a big thank you for her help in supporting/coaching my brother through these past four years!

This year though,there was an added bonus. Each year, two students are chosen to give the student reflection speech at graduation, one from the day section, and the other from the night section. This year, Chris's speech was selected from the evening section to address the graduates.

No words really to say other than it was a hell of a speech. Video below with a brief glimpse of the after party with Chris and Stacy's friends and family.

End of Another Year in Residence Life

2009-06-04T22:14:00.002-04:00

A big thank you to the students that I was able to work with this year in the apartment area. Special thanks to the Community Advocates who are graduate students living and working with me in the apartment area.

Each year in May, there is a large banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of the staff and to award those who have worked hard to connect and enhance student life. In addition to these awards and acknowledgments, there is also a "Res Life by the Numbers" in which funny and sentimental numbers are provided on the work all the staff did. This year myself and the great Matt Colaprete stepped up to the mike and did our best. Below is the video taken by Uche Okereke, one of the CAs in the apartment area.

Thanks again to the students and staff for a great year!

Brief List Of Things To Say Before I Die

2009-05-12T00:30:00.005-04:00

I think a lot of us have those moments we remember when we've said the perfect thing at the perfect time. Whether it was helping out a friend or taking a stand on something, the right phrase can create a lasting memory.

Now, I'm not talking movie lines or pick-up lines (I'm good at one of those...), I talking about those statements that the world seems to just stop for. It's a moment when there's a dramatic pause where the person who hears it takes a brief moment to let it marinate in their mind before reacting.

Don't know when I might be able to break these out but I'm hoping that, at some point, I can say these without flinching or second guessing it's use:

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch"- Who says that nowadays? Everything in our lives is so planned out that we can't just interrupt a meeting or event to say this line. Usually what gets said is, "Hey, can we make this quick, I've got to get somewhere." I picture saying this line after successfully handling a heated debate, putting on my suit jacket, and walking out the door. Problem is that my next line would probably be, "Now where the heck did I put my suitcase..."
"No, that's ok. I'm going to pay cash"- I'm hoping in the future that I can walk onto a car lot, pick out a nice convertible, listen to the salesperson give their speeches about the features. Then, as they break into the financing discussion, I can politely put up my hand to stop him/her, dramatic beat as he/she thinks, "Who the heck does this guy think he is?", and I give them the line that will change their thinking to, "Jackpot".
"You're going to need to push me out of this thing"- I was chatting the other day with someone who's been skydiving. I told him I could never do it. Kinda true. I don't think my legs could get up from the side of the plane, walk over to the door, and take the leap. I'd really have to have the tandem guy/girl carry me like a baby over to the door. Or maybe I can get knocked out somehow only to have them give me an epi-pen (not in the heart!) right as I'm standing in the door.
"I think a pool would look nice back here"- My grandparents had a pool in their backyard. It was home to birthday parties, graduation parties, huge 4th of July parties, and epic battles involving a beach ball and someone jumping off the diving board (going to be the subject of a whole other blog post). Granted, we were only there for the fun times, so I imagine there was a lot of other times where it was a big frustration to them. But I have always wanted to be looking inside a new home, starring out from a back glass door, with my arm around my wife, and saying this line. Which would be even cooler if after we both looked at each other, we turn to the realtor, and in unison, say, "We'll take it!" (ok, it's cheesy, but it's my cheesy)
"I have all the time in the world"- Just to make someone's day to know that they have my full attention no matter how long they need it.

There's probably more but this is what was in my head as I'm trying to get to sleep tonight. Let me know if you think of any other ones.

Thanks for reading....

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-05-06T22:51:00.003-04:00

"Because I said so..."

She'll probably kill me for starting off her birthday post with that statement but, Mom, give it a few minutes. It'll all come full circle in a second.

"Because I said so" seemed to be her favorite term when I was growing up. I vowed many times, as I was stomping up the stairs, that I would never, ever, use that phrase with my kids. Well, lo and behold, I actually broke it out today in dealing with a few students on campus. "Because I said so" was a mantra that I could never buy into. I kept thinking, "Who the heck does she think she is?" (STOMP) "Why does she think she's so smart?" (STOMP) I honestly just pounded my foot against the floor instinctively.

So, to the topic at hand, your birthday. I have some birthday thoughts using that favorite statement of yours...

Because I said so, my mom is a darn good cook. Cookies, cakes, dinners, lunches, picnics, parties, etc. All egg free, nut free affairs. Covered many times before but, because I said so, she's a darn good cook.
Because I said so, my mom is a darn good nurse. ER was one of those shows that connected with a lot of people. For me and my family, it gave us one more insight to my mom as she grew through her 20s and 30s. As an ER nurse herself, I remember turning to her to see her face during some of the episodes we would watch as kids. The stories she would tell about her friends, about the doctors, and about some of the patients were priceless. One story I remembered as I called her during the series finale was that she was involved in a historic surgery. Serving as a nurse during the first artificial heart transplant, she was in and around the room as medical history was unfolding.
Because I said so, my mom is a good driver. I have no idea where we were coming back from but my friend Joe was in the car with my brother, my sister, my mom and I. I was ticked about something that day and Joe and Chris knew it. Seizing the opportunity, they didn't just sit around and let the opportunity pass by... nooooo... they grabbed it by the horns and rode it right on through. I then say something stupid and my mom starts in on me. As I sat there, very politely, hands crossed like a good little angel... yea who am I kidding, I was spewing out words with the arms flailing, being all sorts of dramatic in the middle seat of the van. But then those magic words came out of my mouth, "That's it. Pull the car over. I'm getting out and walking." A little setting background for you. Wynantskill is at the top of a hill, ney, a mountain, that begins in Troy where this is taking place. About 15 minutes away from my house, I blurt out these words not even thinking she'll stop the car. BBRRRRRRUUUUUTTTTTTT. Car stops. Without even a beat, her head turns around, and I think it was Joe who slides open the van door right on cue. My bluff had been called. My drama level went from "Melting Wicked Witch of the West" crazy to jaw dropping silence. To be honest, I think that was the turning point of realizing, this woman doesn't mess around. Sure there were some incidents after this but, I don't know if she ever knew the impact that driving moment of clarity had on me.
Because I said so, my mom is a darn good mom. It's true in many ways that I wouldn't be here without her. When people ask about how I found out about my allergies, I tell them the story and include that on the way to the hospital, I had to be thrown in the air in order to get me to breathe (it's apparently a baby's instinctive reaction to take a breath at the top of the throw). If I had been born to any other person, would I still be here? Those late nights of breathing treatments where I dug my teeth into the mouth piece as I could barely breathe from asthma, angry that she was making me do those, she stuck by me and rubbed my back at 3am while saying, "Take deep breaths." Because I said so, I think I don't have major asthma and allergy issues because she was a darn good mom in staying strong through some tough times.

Because I said so, I hope she had a Happy Birthday today. Thanks Mom for all the support you not only give me but the entire family.

Love,
Jeffrey

Thanks for reading...

Ode to Seasonal Allergies

2009-04-22T23:53:00.003-04:00

French horn bellows from the orchestra... Violin tuning... Flutes and clarinets play a run.... and the drum section does a wicked solo that amazes the crowd (ok, so maybe that last part would never happen...)

Tap, tap, tap from the conductor that gathers the attention of everyone. He/She raises their hand and the instruments come to a ready position.

The Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel begins to play. (For those who might not know this classic, here's a reminder)

Hello seasonal allergies my old friend
It seems that we have met again
The pollen outside is just starting
The grass that once was yellow is now greening
And the sunflowers that are slowing growing in the grass
Soon will change
To the bane of my existence

In restless weather, my nose alone
cannot avoid the yellow storm
Neath the buds of the treetops
I turned my car to supermarket
Where my body and my cart dashed right to Kleenex aisle
Split the family
That blocked my Puffs without lotion

And let's not forget my aching head
Ten pounds of pressure, maybe more
Nose spray doesn't do the trick
Nose spray kinda makes me sick
It's the ache that Tylenol just won't cure
twice a year
In the spring and in the fall

Oh and I hear about that Neti-Pot
People left and right talk about it a lot
fill the pot with warm salt water
then one end goes in which ever nostril
Let me stop you right there because that just isn't natural
I could drown
from this contraption that's really a torture device

And then people thought I was crying
actually no they called it sobbing
all that pollen made all these tears?
Itching them was not helping
and the doctor said "Don't itch them cause you'll only make them worse"
what's he know
about the bane of my existence

Thanks for reading...

It's Been a While

2009-04-13T22:48:00.004-04:00

No excuses for not posting other than not much to report. Things continue to go well with the family. My Dad is back to work. My Mom is diligently solving the world's problems. Chris is graduating in a few weeks from law school (and the lucky punk not only played Trump National but also picked the winner of the Masters Tourney). And Amy is still having fun out in Boston. No complaints.

But one update to pass along. Starting in Junior High, acting became a big part of my life. I did a few shows a year both at whatever school I was attending and in community theater. As life has continued to change recently, I found myself getting back into somethings that I sacrificed.

One day I hopped on Craigslist and ended up in the actors wanted section. As I looked through, a lot of jobs were asking for a headshot. I'm still at the point, and probably will be for many many years to come, when I think to myself, "Hmmm... Maybe I should go back to a cheaper hobby?" Headshots are expensive. So for a while, I put the thought in the back of my head.

Fast forward about a month and I'm sitting in a club meeting for a group I advise. At the end, I randomly pipe up with, "Anyone know of someone who takes headshots?" The only thing heard in the room was the "whoosh" of everyone's head as they turn towards a woman in the room who laughs, dramatic beat, then says, "Um, yea. Me?". Come to find out, she needs someone to model for her for a class project. So we agree that she takes the headshots, I'll do what's needed for the pictures she needs.

Now, side story, yes, the face did turn red (about a 2 on the Red-Face-O-Meter) as I said, "But you know, there's just some stuff I won't do...". To which she turned red and said, "No! It's not that type of project." Laughter, laughter, laughter, and Jeff's face getting even redder (bump it up to a 6)...

Below are some of the outtakes from the headshots and from the pictures for her project. Thanks to Katie Gio for her awesome photo taking abilities.

Thanks for reading...

At my brother's request...

2009-03-13T00:28:00.003-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the future top lawyers of America.

One of those days

2009-03-09T23:23:00.002-04:00

Need to preface this post with the fact that I recognize there are many people out there that have had many bad days. There are friends out there right now who are in much worse places than me and this post is in no way, a comparison to some of the days you're having.

But today wasn't necessarily a bad day. It was a combination of the guy from Office Space who was just rolling with the punches, and a series of events that I cocked my head to the side and said to myself, "Huh... That didn't go as planned."

A few minor things happened in the morning but we're going to skip ahead to the new bane of my existence, ITunes one touch ordering. Most of the days, I admit, the ordering is completely by choice. I have no excuse for some of the music I've spent music on. Yes, your Honor, I did click the button. BUT, today, yes at work (I had a lunch meeting! I get make up time right?), I was looking through the catalogue for a long lost song (Eric Carmen, Make Me Lose Control, can't wait to hear what my brother Chris has to say about that one) and ended up in the movie section. Wanting more information about a movie, I clicked what I thought was the link to see more. Nope, all of a sudden, I see download start pop up. Huh... That's not right...WAIT! DAGNABIT!!! Cancel button! Cancel button! Hell any button! Yep, caps lock does nothing...

$14.99 later, I'm the proud owner of My Best Friend's Girl. Um, yea? But I smiled...

A few hours later, I walk into my boss's office and see some baked goods on her desk. I'm always up for finding a new tasty treat so I ask to take a look at the ingredients. What do you know? No eggs! No nuts! Jackpot! I turn to her, not in a cool, calm, or collected way. Nope, it was more of the way a five year old looks when their parent take the cookie out of the jar, places it on a napkin, and hands it down to them. Not exactly when it hits their hand, but that moment as the cookie is in the air. (Side story, can't wait to see this look on my own child's face... one day...) Quickly grabbing one of these tasty treats, I take a huge bite and think they're not half bad. Chatter back and forth soon followed that I have no recollection of because I was thinking, "Sweet! New treat to put on the list!". I left her office and finished. About five minutes later, I cocked my head to the side and thought, "Huh... This doesn't feel right." I could mentally picture the name of the item being crossed off the safe list as I could feel my mouth swelling and my teeth start to hurt. I go back to take another gander at the ingredients and they look safe. But sometimes that's just the thing. As best as people try, sometimes things get tossed around and something not Jeff friendly ends up in the wrong place.

This wasn't an epi-pen type of incident. There's a protocol for that if it were to happen at RIT.

But the Benedryl that I did take contributed to my next incident. I've started cooking more and tonight was a nice herb tilapia and salad. A few minutes after taking the Benedryl, I put the fish in. Well, the drugs take about 20 minutes to kick in and the fish was done in 15. Yep, didn't time this one out right. As I go to grab the pan, it slips and the fish falls to the bottom of the oven. Cue the freak out about the fire alarm going off. Thankfully it didn't but dinner was ruined. I put the pan, with the destroyed, unintentionally blackened fish, on top of the stove, cocked my head to the side, cracked a little smile, and thought, "Huh... That didn't go according to plan"

To be honest, I should have expected that last one. Same, exact thing happened the last time I tried to cook tilapia. I blame the drugs for clouding my memory. So maybe it did go according to plan? Third time will be the charm!

Thanks for reading...

My new desktop background

2009-03-09T23:21:00.000-04:00

it's all about the lines in our lives

2009-03-02T23:32:00.006-05:00

Didn't really see this theme until a few updates in but it can't be denied. We all cross some lines in our lives. Whether by tripping, pushed, or testing the other side, it's how we get back to the other side of the line that defines us. So with this, some updates:

My dad is doing much better. The lines cut in his chest and arms are healing nicely. While a still a little sore, the whole family is happy to report that he's doing well.
Just got back from a placement conference in my field. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh hosts an an annual placement exchange in which a number of schools come together and interview a large number of candidates seeking a position in residence life. Year after year, schools try to one-up each other with the different swag or advertising idea. RIT came up with a pretty neat idea involving a grade school right of passage. Ever do those origami fortune tellers? For example, sometimes after asking a question, you pick a color and for each letter you fold the paper a certain amount of times, then picking a number, you fold it that number again, revealing your final choice of number. VOILA! Future. Well, we changed it up a bit to make it RIT specific like "You'll find your career in RIT Res Life!" I might invent an origami paper folder because after a few times of trying to fold the darn things, our minds turned a little batty, and eventually, a throwdown was issued. It then turned into this:

We probably have all been there whether through our parents yelling at us in the back seat saying, "Hey! Look it! I'm drawing a line down the center of this seat. You stay on this side, and you on the other. Don't cross it!". Or it's the awkward knees or elbows touching where you pull away quickly once you realize they're touching. But on an airplane, there's only so much room to play nice. In addition, they build two separate seats. There's already a line built into the row! And you'd think people would have the sense not to cross it. Oh no. On this recent plane trip, it happened twice. First time, I think the guy only gave me half a seat. Literally, Mister I'm going to spread my legs like I'm doing a ski jump and cross my arms like posing in a music video, decided to ignore the line. Then, his half brother sat next to me on the way back trying to emulate the ski jump (He skipped the video). Ever once in a while there would be a shift of position and I'd quickly reclaim some space. It was an ongoing battle that I didn't do so well in.
This brings up another airline traveling question. Are you the type of person to rush onto a plane once they start boarding? Me, I'm thinking, "Why rush on there only too sit for another 20 minutes while I wait for everyone else?" Maybe they're trying to stake their claim in the seat space war? I like the lobby and the 20 minutes of fresh air and open space I'm going to get. Maybe it's just me?
Love is like hopscotch. You get some friends together and draw out the pattern of lines you want to go with to start, always having a place for two feet to land somewhere along the way. You throw the pebble and jump through course skipping the square where you landed the pebble. I thought I was at the end of my course having done the whole one foot, two foot thing. But if you're playing in my game, you miss some steps, there's a crack in the pavement you trip on, you miss the square you really want, and you've always got to watch out for the school bully who's there clapping with a big smile on their face only to knock you down when right as you think you've reached the end. So here's what I've decided, I've worried for too damn long about the pebble, the crowd, the cracks, heck, even the rules. I'll draw the board how I want it to start. And when I get to the two feet, I'll turn, grab my partner, break the chalk in half, and we'll go the rest of the way together. Our rules. Our game. Now where did I put the chalk...

Thanks for reading.

The Day After Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T23:55:00.003-05:00

Tonight, driving back from Albany, I saw two shooting stars, and subsequently had two wishes. The first one had to do with hoping for a successful recovery for my dad (he's continuing to get better. Some hiccups along the way thanks to an infection and changes in medicine but long term looks good). The second had to do with love. And with it being so close to Valentine's Day, thoughts of the past can't help but enter my mind. True, a few did revolve around the obvious but most centered on that today is the anniversary of my Grandma Spain's passing away.

My Grandma was a talented and amazing person who continues to impact my life. Her English teacher background got me through high school. Every paper, no matter what the class, was not handed in unless it was driven or walked up to their house and reviewed. Upon arrival, we would sit down at the living room couch, the coffee table's drawer would open, and out came the pencils. Soon after, my grandfather would drop off a Pepsi and water for us to drink.

Her influence extends beyond the grammar as she was also into music and, my favorite, baking. While I would never blame her for my pudgier years (or life), she did know how to make a mean pie or cookie. And I knew how to make a mean meal (yes, I did not say snack) out of them. Even when there might have been something she made that I was allergic to, there would always be a side treat of pie crust sticks that were made right before the egg or nuts went in. My mom and her would collaborate and share ideas to always be part of a major meal or event at their house.

Any time I think of her though, the one thing that pops into my mind is the way she would yell my name when I walked though their door over the past couple of years. Few people call me Jeffrey but she did it with a few extra "J"s. It's a soundbite that will stick in my mental IPod for the rest of my life.

It must be mentioned and acknowledged that without her influence, who knows what this blog might look like. Structure, ethic, and ideas came from many members of my family. The confidence came from her. That confidence to put pen to paper. That confidence to type these words. But most of all that confidence to explore an idea and constrain it to sensible amount of statements the can get the point across in a honest and effective way.

Three years ago, on Valentine's Day, I received a card in the mail that on the front had a couple cute drawings. One is of a bear, with a halo, dancing on a cloud. The other is of that same bear sitting on the cloud holding a heart. Now, while I do believe in some out-there things, I don't believe that she's dancing with bears in heaven. But I do believe that she's up there dancing, singing, heck even baking, and making others smile.

And I do believe that she's been holding onto a few hearts for the past couple of years. But mine is ok to put down right now. There's a few others both in the family and outside of it that could use a little holding right now. Mine's in a good place. Just don't let it get too far away.

I saw two shooting stars tonight. And while it may have been space debris, what if it wasn't? Was if it was a little nudge? What if it was a "JJJJeffrey"? What if it did happen while I was driving through a town she used to tell me about all the time? What if it did happen on the anniversary of when she passed away? What if it did happen in a part of the sky that I just so happened to be looking at twice? What if she did go up to God and say, "Hey, could I borrow these for a minute?" Things happen all the time that make you go, "Would you get a load of that?" and I'm ok with thinking this was just a little sign that she's still around.

Thanks for reading...

25 Random Things

2009-02-05T13:52:00.003-05:00

Recently, a few friends on facebook have been making a list of 25 random things about themselves. After you create this list, you supposed to link it to 25 other people and it then becomes the modern day chain letter.

To just pick 25 people would be tough.

Now let's be honest, this whole blog is full of random things about me. This will be the 95th post to this blog so I'm guessing there's already a ton of random things you've learned about me and my family.

Without any more fanfare or explanation, here's my list:

My brother and I slept in bunk beds. I was on the bottom bunk.
I got so mad at my parents one time that I put my heel through the wall (I was laying on my side). I kept it covered for three years with a wall calendar. It was one of those magic eye calendars and my parents and family just thought that I really liked that particular month's picture.
During nights I can't go to sleep, I turn on AM talk radio. Usually the show on at the time is Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell or George Noory. They talk about all sorts of strange topics including ghosts, aliens. Problem is that sometimes the topics are so "out there" that they only keep me up longer.
I've only called into one radio show. I had to be 12 or 13 and my parents had some friends over for the evening with talk radio on in background. The early evening guy on 810 WGY was named Don Weeks and the topic got onto the big snowstorm we were getting that night. My dad calls me into the room and says that I need to go outside and start shoveling. "Frustrated" at this because there was only 2 of 10 or 12 inches on the ground, I picked up the phone and called the show. I told the screener that I was "frustrated" that my dad was going to make me go out when the storm wasn't even over yet. I think I ended up at the top of the list because I got right on the air. I tell him my story and, thinking he's with me in my battle, he tells me to put my dad on the phone. Thanks to the delay, they hadn't heard me on the radio until I hand my dad the phone and say with a big smile, "He wants to talk to you..." They start chatting and all of sudden, I hear my dad start talking as if Don Weeks is taking his side! Let's just say I had my head down in disappointment and my butt out the door before the delay caught up.
I've got a few nicknames, "Spainer", "Dockmaster, "Holcomb", and "Scooter"
Not a fan of coffee.
I miss NYC everyday.
I'd like to visit every baseball ballpark before I get too old to travel
The only bone I've ever broken is my nose. Actually done it twice thanks to an unfortunate biking accident and an unfortunate collision with another person's face before a basketball game. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, an injury can occur before a basketball game when the teams are warming up. Thanks to two people from opposite teams not watching where they're going, I got knocked out, a concussion, and a broken nose.
My favorite holiday is Christmas.
The distance in age between my brother, sister, and I is the same (down to the month) between my dad, his brother, and his sister.
I've never been arrested, however a cop one time picked up my bike over his head and tossed it about 10 feet. I was 9 or 10.
At a two week summer camp, I won a dancing contest and a gold medal in basketball.
I'd like to have more time to get back into acting. I've played different characters ranging from King of a Kingdom to the wearer of the One Ring, from a bell boy to a husband, and from a guy who gives a speech to an apple to a James Bond wanna-be.
Most of my fears boil down to the question, "What is going on behind the closed door?"
I only know one magic trick. It's a card trick that I have no problem passing on the secret tactic of how it's done.
There are times that I wish I told stories out loud as well as people tell me I write them.
I teeter between wanting to have a family as big as a baseball team or as big as a curling team (shame on you if you don't know what curling is...).
Favorite food is a hot corned beef sandwich with american cheese on white bread. Now, this corned beef has to be fresh (the stuff at the Wegmans deli counter is NOT fresh nor is it really corned beef). But eating those will probably be few and far between in the future.
I used to play A LOT of video games. So much so that I was a beta tester for two games. I'm also a recovering World of Warcraft player. If I could break free, so can you! Now interests have shifted more to music and writing.
I am an awkward hugger in public but I'm a huge hugger at heart.
I believe in a heaven and hell. I also believe that the people who've passed on still have a connection to the world we live in. The world works in mysterious ways and it has a funny way of showing it.
Equality for all. It shouldn't have taken this much time in our world to truly come to understand and apply that statement for all.
I do everything right handed except swing a golf club and baseball bat. My dad is the exact opposite.
I try very hard at everything I do. Sometimes though, it's not good enough. It takes "two to tango" in a lot things in life. But I don't mind the dance. I'm pretty good at it actually. Don't usually step on toes and there's a nice dip towards the end. But I'm not going to give away any more of my dance secrets...

Thanks for reading. More to come...

Adventures in Vermont

2009-02-01T01:08:00.006-05:00

First off, big kudos to the students who planned the OCASA (Off Campus and Apartment Student Association) ski trip this year and thank you for letting this guy tag along. It was definitely an adventure surrounded by bad hair, silence, snoring, a google maps FAIL, and thinking that Verizon guy is full of crap.

- Those of you who ski or have been to a ski lodge will know what I'm talking about. But anyone can feel free to tell me their thoughts on the following statement:

There is no such thing as a bad hair day on a ski mountain.

It's true. You can walk into a ski lodge, whip your ski hat off, have the worst hat hair in the entire world, and no one will look at you any differently for it. I walked in to get lunch the first day and did my usual double take as my hand went for my hat. But then, I took a look around, and it was like people were saying to me, "Go ahead! Let it run free! Let it breathe!" I was amongst bad hair friends and it felt good.

Problem is that you get comfortable with this feeling and on the way home, walk into a Subway for a quick lunch, stand in line next to a cute girl, do the cordial Jeff Spain smile, get one in return, and whip the hat off. She then turns (and I really wish I was kidding), looks toward the hair, and then giggles. That's right, giggled. I'd have to say it was a six out of seven on the Jeff Spain red face meter.

- That dude with the glasses from Verizon along with the "network" apparently have never been skiing at Smuggler's Notch in VT. Wonder what would happen if, in that guy's walk around the world he suddenly happens upon Smuggler's Notch. What would he do? No one would answer his "Can you hear me now?" Would those commercials finally stop? I guess I picture him going, "Well, I guess I'll just wait here then..."

What it comes down to is that it was weird to be without cell phone service for three days. You don't realize how much you rely on it until it's gone.

- Nowadays, we find directions by heading to Mapquest or Google Maps. Maybe even you've got your own GPS unit in your car. It gives you fairly accurate directions with the street names usually being correct but sometimes the distances are a little off. To set the stage for this part of the story, you need to know two things,

The map of what I'm looking at:
The directions so far are fairly correct and have brought me to Point A, Stowe, VT, about one mile away from Smuggler's Notch.

Route 108 is a small two lane road that drives up into the Vermont mountains and connects the two ski resorts. So I start driving up and come upon Stowe Ski Resort, then I hit a large snow bank. Literally, the road ends into a large snow bank. There's a sign that says "Road Ends Here" so I'm thinking that I've reached Point B on the map but maybe the resort got bought out recently. I park the car, take a look around, and notice that the "hotel" is under construction. It's getting dark and there's only 3 or 4 cars in the parking lot. Not seeing a soul around, I get back into my car, start driving back towards the town because I'm playing the Find A Cell Signal game, and call Smugglers Notch. A very nice woman answers the phone and the conversation goes something like this:

Me: Hi. Um, I think I'm at your resort but I don't know where to go.

Nice Woman: Oh, well just follow the signs to our check in desk.

Me: Don't really see any signs. All I see is construction.

Nice Woman: Did you almost run into a snowbank?

(Now two thoughts go through my mind, either they're sitting in some high perch getting a laugh out of all the people who drive towards the snowbank only to pause for a few seconds as if it's going to magically move, then turn around, OR, something is not right here.)

Me: Ha ha. Yea I did. Did you all see that or something? (Yep, went with option one)

Nice Woman: Oh no honey, you're on the wrong side of the mountain. Our place is on the other side. You need to....

At that point, my mind completely shifts to frustration. She could be telling me the winning lottery numbers and I wouldn't have remembered them. I had just experienced my first

See, if you look closer at the map Point B is in the completely wrong place. It should be up where the 108 symbol is. Oh, and the other thing it FAILS TO MENTION, during the winter, the space between the two 108 symbols doesn't get plowed. If you want to get to the other side of the mountain, you have to drive, oh, FORTY FIVE minutes out of your way. Gee thanks Google Maps. If I had cell phone service by the time I calmed down, I would have called.

Overall I had a blast on the trip! Thanks again to OCASA.

Thanks too for reading:-)

Happy Birthday Amy!

2009-01-19T00:14:00.002-05:00

She's 24. I just can't believe how much time flies...

Amy turned 24 today.

She's a working professional.

She's got her own apartment in Boston.

And it was only a short time ago when...

Amy probably came into this world dancing. The singing part she's still working on (and we'll talk about that in a second) but dancing has been a huge part of her life. In turn, that meant her brothers came out to all the performances. Sure, we probably put up a fit but, in all honesty, at the end of the show, during the big finale, we were on our feet clapping and hooting pretty darn loud for her.
Siblings weekend was always a blast with Amy at Canisius. She was always a magnetic force at those things. It was amazing after she left the amount of people who would come up and say, "Your sister is awesome."

Those Canisius days also transition nicely into one of the things I think I'm most proud of her for doing. When she first started looking at colleges, Canisius suddenly popped up on the list and after driving through a blinding snowstorm on the Thruway, she was able to take an official tour and talk with staff from Admissions. After deciding that it was the place for her, questions started to pop up about if she would only be known as "Jeff Spain's sister". But that never became the case. From day one, she stepped on that campus and put her own mark there to the point that when I go back and visit, I'm sometimes referred to as "Amy Spain's brother". She took that four years and made damn sure to get the most out of them.

So to Amy, much love and wishes for many more birthdays, brews, trivia nights, and random bear sightings.

A few more random things..

2009-01-15T23:14:00.002-05:00

If you've got a second while reading this, send a positive thought my dad's way to get better. Thanks.
One of things I should have said that I am not thankful for are spoiler sites. There are a few sites out there that basically will tell you everything coming up in a tv show and a few years ago, Jeffrey got a little click happy and ended up ruining the big surprise at the end of Lost. This year though, I'm staying strong and don't know anything about this year's season premiere.
So I've basically discovered that I make other people look good at basketball. We're playing a few days ago and one of my coworkers basically put in 4 three pointers, while my hand was practically in his face. After I stop guarding him, he goes cold. I go back, boom, two more. Then some other people get into the game and, well, they turn into Michael Jordan. Crazy, spastic shots dropping like a video game.
One of the challenges of having owning a Toyota Corolla is that it also looks like a Honda Civic, Ford Focus, VW Jetta, and other small cars. Throw in the popular grey color and chances are in a parking lot, you'll see a few similar looking cars. Well this poses a problem when your walking and not paying attention. I have, over the past couple of weeks, walked towards my car, hit the unlock button on my key, heard the "beep beep", then put my hand on the door handled, pulled, yet at the same time thought, this doesn't feel right. Suddenly coming back to reality I realize what is happening. I'm trying to get into someone else's car. Thankfully the door has never opened and no one has ever seen it (I don't think) but as soon as it happens, I do the quick look around and mouth "sorry" to the world.
Also speaking of cars, to the car that pulled up next to me the other day while I was blasting and singing at the top of my lungs, "Let My Love Open the Door" by Pete Townsend, to the same car that continued to drive along side me while it continued into "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne, to the same car full of students from RIT who witnessed someone getting way too into the music, you're welcome. Glad I could put a smile on your faces. Thank you for not laughing too hard. Thank you for the round of applause. And thank you for not thinking I was choking because of my face turning a deep shade of red.

Other Updates

2009-01-11T22:58:00.002-05:00

Some other updates:

A big Thank You to Nick and Melissa Ippolito for finding the Swedish Fish Aqualife candies that DO include the grape flavor! Although there were only 5 or 6 in the package of 50, it brought back good memories and created a darn good brand new one.
Any dream interpreters out there? I know there are, heck some of you even took that dream interpretation class that was our Religious Ed 101 class at Canisius. Problem is that I've got no idea where to go with these ones:

Tree feel on my house in Wynantskill. I think it's from my last trip home in which I helped clear some of the tree debris from the recent ice storm. However, thanks to the ice, didn't quite make it up on the roof but my mom and I did have a field day with a branch that didn't quite make a clean break. We threw everything at it. Even tried getting up on a ladder but it wasn't coming down. But for some reason, I'm thinking there's a deeper meaning to this one...
I keep having a dream about attending my high school reunion. Each time it's in a different place. Some I recognize, others are weird, and some are just impossible.
Little confession, I used to use my graphic calculator to store formulas or other items I could use for a math test that I was "supposed to memorize". So maybe karma is paying me back with my dreams about becoming a math teacher, giving my students a final, then taking all their calculators away. Then all of a sudden, parents rush through the doors and I wake up. No idea..

Some pics from the Christmas holiday:

Thanks for reading:-) Hope your New Year is starting off pretty darn good.

Another On Ice Adventure

2009-01-11T01:32:00.007-05:00

Again, love my job. You never know what might pop up. Say, for example, putting on a hockey helmet, taping paper cut out dog ears to it, grabbing a few other Res Lifers, and becoming a human dog sled team. Oh yes, I give you, Human Dog Sled Racing:

(Pictures courtesy of, at her request, Felissa Ippolito)

2100 people saw this live. I'm the "dog" running behind the sled attempting both to keep up and make sure the sled doesn't go into the wall.

As you might remember, the last time I was out on the ice, this happened:

Luckily, I stayed on my feet:-) However, the next night, the T-Shirt cannon came back out and what happened? The guy operating it tripped over the goal they had moved for the Zamboni (spelled correctly on the first darn try!) and while the crowd gave a big laugh, I did the "Awww, hell" and knew exactly what was going through his head, "Protect the $5,000 t-shirt gun".

Congrats!

2009-01-11T01:29:00.003-05:00

So a more appropriate post to congratulate a good friend who got engaged.

To Joe and Jennifer, I wish you many days of happiness, smiles, and days of making each other laugh.

Now if only I could find a good picture...

One more thing I'm thankful for...

2009-01-04T23:18:00.003-05:00

Thankful- The Military

Thanks to the men and women in our nation and oversees who put thier lives on the line everyday to protect everything from your right to drive down the street to my right to write this blog.

This especially goes out to the old friends, students, and cousin I know serving in the armed forces.

A big thank you for all that you do.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 25

2008-12-25T23:09:00.002-05:00

Thankful- My family

There are small moments and small stories that make up the overall experience with my family. From the years of us all living under one roof, to the days that we are now spread all across the country, I realize that I'm pretty darn lucky and blessed when it comes to Mom, Dad, Chris, and Amy.

Christmas at the Spain household usually begins with camcorder wielding Dad standing at the bottom of the stairs while three kids anxiously await to bring what Santa brought. Coming around the corner of our kitchen, our faces usually lit up and we went to work.

Now I hear in some families, there's someone who plays Santa and hands out the presents one by one. Um, let me just say that the one or two minutes spent tearing endlessly and uninterrupted through wrapping paper is a joy that can only be topped by a few things. There's no order other than the wave that starts at one end of the presents and doesn't stop until you get to the tree. All that's left in the path is wrapping paper and ribbon. I guess we just prayed in early days that Amy would have enough room to come up for air in the midst of her two big brothers.

Recent Christmas's though have been smaller and rather than presents being shared, stories from the year get tossed around. This year included the struggles of my brother and Stacy to deal with their dog's humping problem and when exactly is the right time to open the bottle of Dom Perignon that's been sitting in the refrigerator since my NYU days (just haven't found the right moment...).

As the Christmases go on, they'll continue to change with new wives, husbands (just thought that a whole 'nother blog post will be dedicated to "Notes for whomever wishes to marry my sister". Don't quite know if they know what they're in for with me and Chris.), and kids being added to the mix but, again, I'm thankful and blessed to be spending them with a great family.

This whole blog is a kind of dedication to them and their efforts. While this post about them is short, the whole blog touches on the various facets of my life that they have helped shape.

Thank you Dad, Mom, Chris, and Amy.

From my family to yours, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

25 Days of Thanks-Day 24

2008-12-25T22:34:00.004-05:00

Thankful-Extended Family

A big thank you goes out to all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, extended cousins for your support over the years. In addition, the husbands, wives, and partners deserve a thanks as well.

But a big "Sorry!" goes out to one of the newest cousins Nick who got his unplanned introduction into the back room of the grandparent's house tonight. Over the years, the house that my dad grew up in, and that my grandfather and aunt now live in, as been host to numerous birthday parties, 4th of July bashes, and Christmas get-togethers. Before my aunt moved in, the back room was the unofficial hangout for the little kids. There were toys, an organ, an actual bar (we had no idea that it was also stocked with good stuff but, come on, we were too young), and the ever elusive dart board (the darts were hidden in fear that an "accident" would happen between my brother and I)

Anyway, in order to get into this back room from the house, you need to go down two steps. But these two steps over the years have been evil. In the days when the pool was open in the backyard, the steps would become slippery and, well, you can probably figure out the rest. I think each Spain child has fallen on these stairs at least once. Thanks to me, Nick got initiated into this illustrious club.

I'm standing at the top of the stairs and I hear him coming with my aunt closely behind. He gets next to me and I look down saying something cute (hey, at least I think it was). He squirms next to my leg and I say something at the same time my aunt says, "Jeffrey, can you grab his hand."

Cue the slow motion swipe in the air as Nick takes one "step" down and kinda goes to his knees. For a split second, I think, "Sweet, he'll be ok". But then still in slow motion, in his attempt to get back up, his feet slip out from under him, and unfortunately, his face met the floor.

I feel horrible. I don't wish any harm on any two year old and I feel bad that this happened on a Merry Christmas night. A few minutes later he was doing pretty good with a toy in his hand but he did have a good bump on his forehead. So Nick, Sarah, Eric, my apologies.

A very Merry Christmas to all those who I didn't talk to today out there from the family.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 23

2008-12-23T22:48:00.002-05:00

Thankful-Good Friends

Lots of stories about friends of the past have come out already on this blog. From co-workers to friends in high school, there have been tons of stories and a ton more to tell. Although some will remain secret because they just don't need to be shared on a blog, I'm thankful for those who've been there in whatever way you may define a friend.

From quick conversations in the hall to random reunions, I'm pretty darn lucky to have some damn good people in my life.

To those who were there pre and post, to those who've been there before, during, and after, thank you.

Not So Thankful- The Video Players in Cars

Those who've driven the NYS Thruway in any direction can tell you, there's not too much to look at. Every now and again you'll get the little cities along the way in which you wonder what might be happening there tonight. Or you pass that random lock house along the Erie Canal. Or maybe you come back from your day dream when you pass the Steak and Crabhouse place (you know, the one with the big neon lobster on the front) in between Rochester and Buffalo (just east of exit 49) and wonder, "How's the food there?"

While a lot of thinking gets done on the Thruway, one thing has been cutting into my day dreaming, those video players in vans. You've probably seen them glowing brightly while passing a big family van. Most of the time they're playing cartoons or Sesame Street, but try as you may, you just can't turn your head away. And it's even worse when you have no idea what's playing.

[Begin lie]

I've never done this but there have been people who've literally slowed down just to see if they know what's playing. It's probably a little battle they have in their head like when watching Jeopardy at home. It's not like you know every single show you see on those glowing overhead monitors, but you just can't pass it until you've gotten a good look at it and made an attempt to tell what's on.

[End lie]

Maybe it's jealousy. Maybe it's the song on the radio. Maybe it's that my voice just gave out after trying to hit the high note at the end of Journey's Don't Stop Believin' (Hold on to that feeee-elll-eee-iiinnng). But when passing one of those video things, I take more than a quick glance because, well, not much else is happening out there.

Here's the deal, to the people who have em, rock on. Just expect a little company on the Thruway.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 22

2008-12-22T22:51:00.004-05:00

Thankful- A Visit from St. Nicholas

More commonly known as "Twas the Night Before Christmas", A Visit from St. Nicholas is a poem that has popped up a few times throughout my life:

The sixth grade class at St. Jude's School was responsible for two things, 1) raising and lowering the flag each day along with the proper folding and unfolding and 2) Reciting A Visit from St. Nicholas at the Christmas show.
I remember changing the words around to get someone to switch shifts with me at work so I could hang out with friends.
Each year the poem gets reprinted in the Troy Record because before the Record was the Record, it was the Sentinel which originally published it back in 1823. What the publishing of that poem really meant was that Christmas bonuses were soon to be left on people's porches

One of the more personal memories of the poem is that each Christmas Eve, my sister will run upstairs to her room, grab a hardcover copy of the poem, run downstairs, and call everyone to the living room. In the years that I wouldn't be home for Christmas, I'd still get a call on my cell phone when everyone was ready.

In the old days, it was just the five of us but more recently it's turned into a damn stage show:-)! Friends from my family's past will come over, grab a brew, have a seat and for five or so minutes, slip into those childhood days of Christmas. Christmas's when you would wait up as long as possible just to see if you could hear Santa. Christmas's of old when your turn on the radio to get reports of Santa's location. Christmas's of old when milk (or oddly beer sometimes?) and cookies would be left by the tree as a treat for Santa. And Christmas's of old when the smile on a close person's face is all you need to make the holiday special.

Wait one second though! Those Christmas's are still here and are still to come! Take a second to turn to family or a friend, give em a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, and I'm pretty sure they'll give you a big smile in return.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays where ever you might be reading this.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 21

2008-12-21T23:02:00.002-05:00

Thankful- Goals

A few months ago on this blog I wrote about some goals that had surrounding me getting healthier. For the most part I feel that I've met them, the running one is still out there but a recent kick in the butt should push that in a good direction. I am very thankful that I did that. The amount of positive reaction and support recieved was really helpful at dropping the weight and taking positive steps. So, how about round 2?

In no particular order:

A buddy is getting married in Hawaii in August. Hawaii means beaches, sun, and waves. New goal- Get beach body ready
Over the past few years I've been toying around a few tv and movie ideas. One already had a script but after all this writing I've been doing, the itch has gotten strong again to see how many more I can pop out. Let's say two more by May 1, 2009
Figure out why they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Only way to do that, get up earlier. Grrrr... We'll make this a New Years Resolution
Take a cooking class. By the end of January.

Think that's a reasonable list to get done in the time alotted.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 20

2008-12-21T01:23:00.003-05:00

Thankful- Park/Mall Benches

A recent conversation about how people got engaged sparked this thing that I am thankful for. Rick and Felissa got engaged at a park bench they would sit at on a regular basis (if I remember the story correctly).

For me though, I am thankful for park and mall benches for the wide range of emotions they provide.

My favorite park benches would have to be in Washington Square Park. One story in particular that comes to mind is when a woman and I were studying for out Politics in Higher Education final. We were knee deep in different political cases or issues that were talked about in class. All of a sudden though, I heard her scream and then felt a scratch on my arm. What had happened was a darn squirrel had dropped from the tree above, landed on her, then leaped onto me. Unfortunately, this didn't get us out of the final but it did make for a good story to tell.

I don't think you'll argue though that from a park/mall bench you see a wide range of things. You'll most likely see things that will make you laugh, things that will make you think, or even things that will make you cry. I'm not necessarily one of those people who go to the mall just to people watch but I am guilty of being one of those people who goes to the park just to take their minds off of things.

While sitting in the park I remember seeing the following things happen:

- A world record being broken (Oh it's true. Guinness World Records used to do a weekly show and in one of those, you could see me sitting on a bench
- A person getting pooped on by a bird (Now I've gotten pooped on by a bird but if I see someone else have it happen to them, does that mean I have double the luck?)
- Celebrities and famous people walk by getting hounded for their autograph (never been one of those people who've been comfortable enough to approach a famous person. Why? Because if I were them, I know that there are sometimes I just don't want to be bothered. Why should I interrupt that?)
- Love begin (Now I have no idea if these two people are still together but I remember sitting on a bench facing the dog park. A man and a woman are on opposite sides of the park but suddenly their dogs become angry at each other. The two run towards the commotion and separate the dogs. Together they walk towards the outer part of the park. While reading my material, I randomly gaze every now and again at them and one time see the man hand the girl a piece of paper. I've been around long enough to read on these two faces that they are pretty into each other. Who knows what came of it but I hope the two of them are happily ever after)

So to the people who thought putting mall/park benches out there in the world, I say thank you. Not only is a great place to relax while watching another person shop, but it's also a great place to stop and see the world from a whole different perspective.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 19

2008-12-20T00:16:00.003-05:00

Thankful- Co-Workers and Supervisors

I'm just getting back from a little get-together with some co-workers and there I posed the question, "What am I thankful for tonight?" They threw out some very funny ideas but it was in a moment of them sharing an ongoing joke which we'll cover in a second, that I realized, don't know how much I'd have been able to get through over these past 10 years without them.

My job is awesome as already mentioned. I love every minute. With this job though comes some, "Really? That just happened?" moments. These moments are funny to play through your head but even funnier to play out with some people who are going through this field as well. From Canisius to RIT, these stories have and will continue to provide tons of laughs. But as we all know with any job, there are frustrations. Frustrations that not too many people can understand or comprehend. So we turn to those who have an understanding, an underlying structure, those who can understand the humor of the story without having to give a 20 minute background on exactly what the day entails. It is to those co-workers that I am thankful for and who help get me through many a funny and frustrating moment. From all the different schools I've worked at there have been people along the way who I am thankful to be able to pull aside and vent or laugh or even cry.

Canisius was where it all started. Your pats on the back helped push me in a positive direction.

And the NYU and Pratt folks, words can't describe the help. Through you, a small town boy got his eyes opened to a whole new world.

The Hobart folks, you helped me take that first step in the door of higher education.

The Brockport folks, you helped encourage me to do my best and work as a team.

But RIT is home to the story that I alluded to above. Right now I thing there's a five person list of people who have "called" stabbing me with the epi-pen if I ever were to have an allergy attack. Their names have been changed to protect the innocent. They are (in no particular order. If I'm missing anyone, um, sure I'll add you to the list? Some, understandably, don't want to mess with needles. I know that you'll still be there to assist!):

Baul (Who has unfortunately left RIT but might still drive out from Suffalo (again, changed to protect the innocent) just for the chance)
Rick (He's been mentioned before, the 90210 fan)
Tisa
Mathleen
Fmanada

I already mentioned to them the following facts:

After eating a nut or eggs, I don't become immediately paralyzed
After eating a nut or eggs, I don't lose the ability to speak
After eating a nut or eggs, I still have enough energy to use the Epi-Pen myself
The thought has crossed my mind to get a tattoo on my chest that says, "Do not stab here"

In a more serious tone, what this does show is another great set of co-workers that I have the pleasure of being a part of. It's shows the caring and concern that if an emergency were ever to happen, even beyond an allergy attack, I've got good people around me (even more than those mentioned above) who would be there to help. So Mom, Dad, Chris, and Amy, don't worry. If ever I do need to use the magic spell, ANAPHYLAXIS, there's good people around who would make sure I've got the help I need.

This help from my RIT co-workers also extends beyond the allergies to the personal which I continue to be thankful for their guidance and support. It means more than you'll ever know.

To my future co-workers, even though I don't know you, I look forward to seeing what the future holds. Just know that the epi-pen goes in the thigh. Rhymes with high, or my, or lie. No dart in the heart!

Ok, taking this rhyming thing too far. Have a good night!

25 Days of Thanks- Day 18

2008-12-18T18:01:00.002-05:00

Thankful- Golf

A quick one tonight thanks to this head cold.

I've talked about before but I'm in my office looking at the golf club sitting sadly in the corner. Lots of good golf stories and I'm sure many more to come.

So thanks golf for continuing to get me up off my butt.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 17

2008-12-18T17:40:00.002-05:00

Thankful- Benadryl

This one's late because I'm sick:-( But Benadryl=good. Why? Usually helps with my sinus colds and puts me right to sleep.

But during an allergic reaction, it's a whole different ballgame. Usually after eating nuts or eggs, my body starts getting very cranky. Popping a few Benadryl will give me time to get to the hospital. But at the same time, I break out the Epi-Pen and inject what's pretty much pure adrenaline into my thigh (Not the heart! That Pulp Fiction scene with the adrenaline was the worst for epi-pen users). So my heart starts beating twice the normal speed not only because of the adrenaline but also because I'm giving permission for who ever is driving to run red lights. The usual scene at the ER is:

Me: Hi. I'm having an allergic reaction.

Person behind desk: Ok. Fill out this form and we'll be with you shortly.

Me: Um, that's cool and all but my throat's about to close.

Person behind desk: Have a seat sir.

Me: (As if I'm invoking some sort of magical spell to break through their haze). ANAPHYLAXIS! ANAPHYLAXIS!

The ER sudden changes into a frenzy. They throw me down on a bed, put the IV in, then give me more adrenaline directly into the bloodstream. My heart starts beating as fast as Irish Step Dancing and then they give me the good stuff. I see the doc come over to the IV, puts the needle in the line, and shoots the Benadryl into the vein. I tell you, you can feel it travel up your arm, into your neck, and as soon as it's hits the brain, it's as if your world has turned into one of those slow motion scenes from a movie. Everyone's voices come in a lot slower and a lot lower, but at the same time you can breathe and hear better than ever. It's basically at this point that I think the teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoons is in a room 5 doors away from me. I can hear her, but just can't make out what she is saying.

So to Benadryl, I say thank you.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 16

2008-12-16T17:56:00.003-05:00

Thankful- Eric Clapton

My dad is a big Eric Clapton fan. Growing up, we knew a lot of the songs. Although many weren't played as part of his band, Clapton was on a lot of times we were working outside or driving in the car.

Now I don't know if this was part of his master plan but the first concert I ever saw was Eric Clapton at SPAC. I believe the story was that friends of there's couldn't go so the next best thing was to bring their 8 and 9 year olds. And I'm pretty darn glad they did.

I remember two things:

The sound was overwhelming. It wasn't overwhelming in a scary way but more of a "Wow, I can't believe what I'm hearing" way. I remember (and maybe my parents might disagree) but I remember just sitting in amazement at the whole show in front of me. The lights along with the sound. It was pretty cool.
Ray Cooper- A few years before the concert, I started drum lessons. The only drum I played though in those early years was the snare drum. I had no idea of the world of percussion beyond that, until Ray Cooper. He's the guy playing in the background during Clapton's MTV's Unplugged. And when I say playing, I mean this guy is grooving to the music. He was having a ball both during that show and the one at SPAC. The word "animated" doesn't even being to describe him. And I was fixated on how much fun he was having back there. The man was surrounded not by a drum set but by bongos, wood blocks, bells, shakers, cymbals, and other various drums. I had thought up to that point that drums was only a drum kit you sat and played at, not all these other toys.

So if I was ever to put a finger on when my interest in drums really came to be, it would be that concert. Thanks mom and dad for letting me and Chris tag along.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 15

2008-12-15T23:27:00.002-05:00

Thankful- St. Arnulf of Metz, The Patron Saint of Brewing

The family line of the Spain's is filled with interesting people. The most recent is a man by the name of Charles Fort. My Great Great Uncle Charlie was an interesting guy according to my grandmother. Before she passed away, she told me stories about him including the fact that's there's a whole society dedicated to his literary and scientific efforts. In addition, Fortean phenomena is a term used to describe many supernatural and extraterrestrial incidents that happen around us. Some even credit him with starting the world's interest in the supernatural and extraterrestrial parts of our world.

My grandmother would also mention every now and again, a person known as Mr. X and the letters and phone calls they exchanged about Fort. She was one of the few living decedents of Fort and enjoyed answering his questions about her past interactions with him.

One day I got an excited phone call from my grandma asking me to come over and take a look at the latest letter. Dated June 2, 2005, Mr. X had spent a good amount of time examining the ancestry of Charles. The farthest confirmed ancestor that he could find was a man by the name of Arnulf of Metz.

Canonized a Saint in 800, he apparently had two miracles involving beer, one was ending the plague in his town by encouraging people to drink beer instead of water by dipping his crucifix in the beer. Another miracle involved beer being produced from a brewery even after it had been burned to the ground.

So to St. Arnulf of Metz, thanks for watching over the beer and brewers out there including Budweiser who brews thier beer with not-Jeff-friendly rice. Thanks also for your decendents including Charles the Hammer (great name), some guy named Charlemagne, Anna and Edward Fuller (who traveled on the Mayflower and arrived at Plymouth Rock), Charles Fort, and most of all, my grandmother who maybe through some Fortean force could read this blog post, know that I and many of us miss her, and hope she is doing well up in Heaven.

A big thanks also goes out to Mr. X for his work. My family has gotten a lot of enjoyment out of your efforts.

More info on Charles Fort, click here

More info on St. Arnold, this site had some good information.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 14

2008-12-14T23:39:00.003-05:00

Thankful- Christmas Carols

Two things are true:

I sing in the car. I have been caught. My face has turned very red.
I like Christmas music

In theory, that's really 4 things but the point is I thoroughly enjoy holiday music.

Top 4:

Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth- Bing Crosby & David Bowie
12 Pains of Christmas- No idea who sings it but I chuckle every time I hear it
Baby It's Cold Outside- Dean Martin
Carol of the Bells- Manheim Steamroller

It's a quick list that'll probably change but for right now, those are the most played according to my IPod.

Not So Thankful...

I've got nothing tonight.

I'm going to take my good mood and head off to bed. Hope you all had a good weekend!

25 Days of Thanks- Day 13

2008-12-13T22:21:00.003-05:00

Thankful- Student Groups I Work With

My job is pretty awesome. I work with some great co-workers (more on them later) and some great students. Here are some of the student groups that I interact with:

CAs/PAs- I'm thankful for the student staff that I currently work with. The Community Advocates and Peer Advocate are on the front line in the apartment area connecting with residents, helping them through issues, and resolving conflicts.
The RAs (both past and present)- Most of my career has been spent with Resident Assistants. I'm also thankful for the hard work y'all do.
Orientation Staff- Recently re-connected with a lot of you on facebook.
Hall Council- Thanks to those from Pratt, NYU, and Brockport
BLT- Oh, Business Leaders of Tomorrow. What can I say, it was a good ride and I'm happy to hear some rumblings about bringing it back.
Off Campus and Apartment Student Association (OCASA)- We need to spend a few seconds on OCASA. Today was their winter retreat and I was really happy with how it went. Remember that each of you accomplishing a small goal means OCASA will continue to be a presence in big ways. Thanks for your hard work. I'll be waiting for our bowling rematch Jackie. One pin...
And to all the other students I've worked with, thanks for all you've done.

Not So Thankful- Not having a washer and dryer

I'd give up the following things for a washer and dryer:

My kitchen
My left pinky toe- I kick with my right foot so I could still become a kicker in the NFL
My Xbox
Coca-Cola for the length of the washer and dryer's stay

Doing laundry has to get done. It's not something I neglect. However, after doing laundry in a residence hall laundry room for 9 years, I'm getting sick of having to make sure I haven't dropped a sock or that a pair of underwear is hanging over the side of the basket as I make my way back to my apartment.

I'm not thankful for the anxiety that comes right before getting to the laundry room and wondering if they'll be enough washers available. Then another round hits as you meet eyes with other people around the room who are trying to time their loads with available dryers. When my loads get done my world goes blank and I purely focus on figuring out how to get things from the washer to dryer. It's like that scene in Old School where Will Farrell snaps at the debate and shifts into a completely different person. Somehow when the washer gets done, the clothes get to the dryers and I suddenly gain consciousness.

And no, I am not one of those people who takes other people's stuff out of the dryer. I don't care if it's cold when I open the door meaning it's probably been there for a few hours. I'm just not touching other people's stuff. I wouldn't want my stuff taken out, why would I want to do that to someone else. And all I would need is for a student to walk in just as I'm taking someone else's unmentionables out.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 12

2008-12-12T23:37:00.003-05:00

Thankful- Electric Generators/ Kindness of Neighbors

Say Hi to the Spain household in Wynantskill.

Wynantskill just happened to be square in the path of the ice storm that rolled through the East Coast. There have been a few over the years and my parents have become pretty good at handling them, especially when the power is out. It usually involves breaking out the electric generator, hooking it up to the sump pump and refrigerator. But this year, that generator just happened to be 3 hours away getting repaired. Whoops!

Thanks to the kindness of our neighbors, my dad was able to hook into the house next door to get a little power so that our basement doesn't flood. I don't think he reads the blog, but in the best way I know how to right now, I just wanted to say thanks!

Not So Thankful- Those blow up Christmas Lawn Decorations

My future wife needs to be prepared for a few things including my allergies, drums, my excellent cooking abilities, and my desire to have the best looking house on the street around Christmas time.

But we need to define "best looking". "Best looking" is not tons of crap on the front yard. "Best looking" is not the brightest house on the street.

"Best looking" is a house that has an appropriate amount of lights, organized in a nice fashion, and looks classy.

One thing that will never, ever make it to the front lawn are those blow up lawn decorations. I'm sorry but all that goes through my head is me gathering a full head of steam and just tackling the things to the ground. I know they'll get right back up but they just bug the heck out of me. I have no idea where this tackling desire comes from. Maybe some vicious experience from a past life involving a blow up lawn ornament.

But you people with those on your front lawn, watch out. If you see a random person tackling your blow up Grinch, just let him go. What harm could he do?

25 Days of Thanks- Day 11

2008-12-11T22:41:00.002-05:00

Thankful- Electronic Drum Kits

It be weird as the guy who has to hold people accountable for being noisy in the apartments, for me to be banging on drums at 1:30 in the morning.

But with this electronic drum set I have, all that's heard around me are little taps. Just a tappy, tap, tap. Nothing more.

In my headphones though, it's anything from AC/DC to Oasis, from John Mayer to John Cougar Mellencamp. I can hook up the IPod and attempt to drum right along. May not be as good as the real guys or girls playing, but I can keep up.

Not So Thankful- French Fries

D**n you french fries.

D**n you and your fried goodness.

D**n you and your salty fried goodness

D**n you and your tasty, salty, delicious, seasoned, fried goodness

You have been and will be my side dish of choice. But my waistline has a huge problem with that choice. It laughs at you and your fried goodness. It enjoys it too much.

So I say damn you french fries without the asterisks because you are the bane of my healthy existence.

One day, I will be the one laughing at you as I pass you by or wave my hand to the waiter/waitress and say, "No french fries, french fry pusher. I'll take the broccoli instead".

25 Days of Thanks- Day 10

2008-12-10T22:55:00.003-05:00

Thankful-Christmas Movies

Top 7 (in no particular order)

Home Alone
Twas the Night Before Christmas (Don't know this one? Head here)
Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer
Scrooged
Mickey's Christmas Carol
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
Elf

A couple of notes:

- It was orginally just going to be the top 5 but then I looked at the list. Something was missing... How could I not include Elf on this list? "You smell like beef and cheese. You don't smell like Santa." I actually work with someone who has already seen this film 15 times since Thanksgiving.

- Update 12/12- Realized also that Christmas Vacation wasn't on the list. Stupid Jeffrey.

- Since a buddy of mine hasn't yet sent me pictures of his engagement so that I can post an appropriate "Congrats Joe and Jennifer" story, I'll embarass him and I for a moment. Yea, we thought we were cool, especially when we would quiz each other on all things Home Alone. By the way Joe, address of the McCallister house, 671.

Not So Thankful- Rebates

Rebates. That's how they get you on the big ticket items.

It's so easy. Here's a copy of the reciept. All you have to do is fill out here, here, and here, cut here, sign here, inital there, e-mail this, wait four days, then go here, fold there, make a copy of this, then wait 6 to 8 weeks.

A very happy day recently involved a rebate. A few years ago, I bought a cell phone that was supposed to be free after rebates. I did all the paperwork, made copies of everything, and followed all the instructions. The thing with this rebate was that it was supposed to come in two checks. Well, the first one arrived on schedule. Second one never did. I get cranky, call them, and they said because I didn't turn in one part, they couldn't give me the rebate. I fire back with the fact that they already thought it was good enough to give me half of it.

Customer Service person: "Oh, um, we shouldn't have done that."

Skip forward two or three years and three more cell phones and one day I get a check in the mail. I read the attached letter that states because of a court agreement, we have been required to pay you this money because the terms of our rebates were not clearly stated.

I did so much of a happy dance that I almost ripped the check up and threw it in the air like confetti.

I loathe rebates.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 9

2008-12-09T00:38:00.002-05:00

Thankful-80s Cartoons

The following need no introduction:

My two personal favorites:

There are others but these were some of the classic ones.

It's ok to have these in your head the rest of the day. You can thank me later.

Not So Thankful- Shredders

What happened to those days back in the 80s when real credit cards came in the mail, when you could throw away everything, when we weren't so worried about information security.

Nowadays I shred everything. Whether it's old magazine covers to bank statements, a lot of my mail and reciepts end up in the shredder. I even shred the return postage paid envelope. All because some wacko at the right place at the right time could find one piece of paper that could lead to them finding out everything about my credit life.

Must go to happy place... Bouncing here and there and everywhere... Ok, I feel better.

Until tomorrow, thanks for reading.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 8

2008-12-08T19:58:00.004-05:00

Thankful- Channel One

At CCHS, I was involved in a bunch of stuff ranging from theater to mock trial. Even had some time for sports with golf and tennis. But every morning for a few years I was one of two people (Hi Kim if you happen to be reading this) who'd get out of homeroom and get up to our "TV studio". Really, this "TV studio" was a large closet. But while prepping for the morning announcements, the group would try to catch what they could of Channel One.

Even with all the commercials and product placement, it did a good job of recapping the news of the day. We didn't have the internet back then and Tom Brokaw didn't exactly spark a young kid's interest, but we did have Channel One. A little news, a little sports, a little quiz, it was pretty cool provided I wasn't rushing to do my homework that was due for first period.

Not So Thankful- The Broiler Part of the Oven

Contrary to popular belief, I do do some cooking. "Some" being the key word. But the broiler part I haven't quite mastered yet. But what is there are a bunch of pans, cooking sheets, cooling racks, stone racks, stone pots, and 40 different other things.

Really what it's become is the most frustrating drawer in the whole kitchen. Even though I currently have only 1 other drawer, even when I did have a bunch, this thing was and is a gateway to a temper tantrum.

Yes, I've caused it myself by putting a bunch of different things in there. So much so that trying to open it is like trying to get a cranky 4 year old past the candy part of the checkout. There will be tears, there will be flailing of limbs, and there will be a voice saying somewhere, "Calm down! CALM DOWN! Be nice and maybe I'll get you what you want." Gentleness and patience does eventually win out, but how much really is it to replace that dented cookie sheet I practically bent in half when ripping open the drawer. I think it gives it character and adds to the perception that I actually do cook.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 7ish

2008-12-08T19:29:00.002-05:00

A little late...

Thankful- Swedish Fish

This post would have been posted 10 minutes ago if I hadn't lost the bag of these tasty treats I bought today. All through little league and when I was an umpire, these little red and purple (more on that in a minute) candies got me through those summers. For $1 you got a 100 of them. It was awesome. Then, at different points in college, I'd come back from Albany with a huge box to eat and give out to the floor.

Now I enjoyed the red flavor but the grape ones were the best things on earth.

Side story, think I just ate a minty red fish. My mouth is a little tingly (not allergic tingly, just that minty tingly) .

Anyway, grape swedish fish = awesome. Can't seem to find them anywhere though:-(

Not So Thankful-Nose Hair

Nothing good comes from a long nose hair. Nothing.

All you get is an itchy nose. And it always comes at the worst times. So you start itching away at the thing, trying to get it to move but it just keeps coming back. And if it happens when you're in public or in front of a crowd, you can't really go at the thing too hard or it just looks weird.

Ok, so then you trim the hair. But then all your left with is stubble which, if you itch your nose, pokes the sides creating more itching.

Plucking is a personal torture and always brings me to tears.

Recently while on a trip to buy a friend's wife's birthday present (Happy early birthday Melissa! She already knows what she's getting so I'm not spoiling anything!), we got a tour of the men's part of a spa and salon. One of the services they offer, nose hair waxing.

Now as odd and painful as it sounds, I'm oddly intrigued. My mind was running when she was explaining it but I heard something about q-tips and my friend talking about looking like a walrus but I'm curious to see what it entails. There has to be something to take care of the little itchy bastards.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 6

2008-12-06T20:22:00.002-05:00

Thankful- IPods

When I got my first (and only) IPod, I was a little hesitant to accept it. I thought with me being a gadget fan, that I had probably 20 other doo-hickeys that did the same exact thing. But, I was sooo wrong.

It's a perfect music machine. Everything gets loaded on there. With it, I can borrow music from other folks and rip it right to the device. Throw in the ease of the Apple Store and downloading music, I don't know what I'd do without it. It's also awesome for long trips down the thruway. No more changing stations as I pass in and out of radio signals.

One thing that has changed with my IPod is that I used to listen in the car through a device that would broadcast the music over a specifically tuned radio station. If I was travelling with someone in another car, I could also play DJ on WJEF. On a recent trip to Boston, my sister got to hear WJEF for the last time as now my Corolla has an IPod In jack.

Not So Thankful- The Snooze Button

7:45am

Beeeeeeeeepppp....

Devil sitting on one shoulder: Go ahead, press it. 10 more minutes of blissful sleep.

Angel on the other: GET YOUR BUTT UP! This way, no rushing. You could enjoy the morning for once!

Devil: Oh, go ahead, press it and really enjoy the morning! You could dream of beaches, winning the superbowl, seeing tha...

WHACK!

7:55am

Beeeeepppppp

Angel: Ok, that's 10 minutes, you got it in. Now get up!

Devil: Oh come on, 10 more minutes, that 8:05. You'll be fine.

WHACK!

8:05am

Devil: Do I really need to say anything?

WHACK!

8:15am

Angel: 45 minutes to get to work

Devil: You live on campus. Your office is on campus

WHACK!

8:25am

Angel: YOU NEED TO SHAVE!

Devil: Isn't the scruffy look in right now?

WHACK!

8:35am

Angel: HAHAHA 25 minutes... dumbass. I tried telling you! You learn one day.

Me: Crap

_____________________________

You've just read my morning routine Monday thru Friday. It never changes. I even found a clock that has does not have a snooze button but I have quite built up enough faith in it yet. Yes, the thing is loud but it's a once or nothing thing. There's no leeway. The snooze alarm is the bane of my morning existence.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 5

2008-12-06T00:47:00.003-05:00

A few minutes late, but hey, it's a Friday night!

Thankful- Thunderstorms

My perfect house includes a screened in porch perfectly attached. The view from it is majestic with no trees, no other houses, and no city lights affecting the view of the stars or an incoming thunderstorm. I love a good thunderstorm.

My brother and I used to stay up at night and rate the lighting strikes near the house. I think it was my dad though that got me excited for a good storm. He would take me outside and we would watch the lighting until the last possible safe moment. Then we'd head inside the house but he would still leave the front door open to watch. This would soon be followed by a "discussion" between my mom and dad about the "danger" of what he was doing. I think we were probably safer there though than the window we'd eventually get to.

Anyone ever seen lighting during a snow storm? I can remember exactly where I was and who I was talking to at the time. Standing on the balcony of the Main Delevan Apartments at Canisius College, I had stepped outside to talk to my grandparents about the huge snowstorm that Buffalo was in the process of getting. I remember my grandma getting on the phone as I stepped outside and interrupting her mid story to say, "Is it possible that there could be lighting during this?" I was floored.

If I can't have the house with the screened in porch, then I hope to have my second favorite place, atop a tall building in NYC. When I lived and worked at 26th Street Residence Hall at NYU, myself and a few others were "allowed" to go up on the roof to take in the view or get some peace and quiet. If the storm was coming in the right way, you could see the lighting off in the distance and the thunder would roll through the streets in an amazing way. Granted, I was always too scared to stay up there when the storm got close but if you caught it right, it was an amazing view. I love a good thunderstorm.

Not So Thankful- Blu Ray

I am a techie. I'll admit it. I'll also admit to getting a hunger for the latest gadget out there. But when the HD DVD/ Blu Ray war started, I picked my side way to early. It's like the scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indiana is in the chalice room. A cup gets picked and the old crusader says to the bad guy, "He chose... poorly". I should have waited and learned more about how the format war was going to play out. Instead I sunk some money into a HD DVD player and am now stuck with it. Granted it upgrades the DVDs I currently have, but that hunger is back for the surviving format. I've got the self discipline to make it through it (that, and a limited budget:-)) but it does look purrrdy seeing it in the stores.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 4

2008-12-04T23:23:00.002-05:00

Thankful- Snow

I love the snow. I've been thinking about where my next move might be and while Hawaii is very tempting, 4 seasons is even more. I love it not only for the skiing, or sleigh riding (sledding seems to be the more popular word), or other snowy activities, but I feel at a certain level of peace when walking in the snow. It's wierd, I know.

When I'm walking in from my car, I find myself staring at the traffic light, mesmerized by the passing snow flakes. During the day, it's still nice to look at and watch, but something about it at nighttime makes me want to go on a long walk. It's so quiet. I know I just wrote a post yesterday about being thankful for white noise but everyone needs thier moments of peace. While I do get those moments in more than just the winter time, something about a good snowy night could keep me occupied for hours.

Not So Thankful- New Car Smell

Having a new car is great. Mine was brand spankin new. 6 miles were all that was on it when I got it. But that also means, only 6 miles of air have moved through the darn thing.

I got in, took a good breath, let it out, and did put a smile on my face after signing the contract. Then, I headed to Albany, and after, oh, 100 miles of breathing in and out that new NEW car smell, my mind got to thinking, what exactly have I been breathing in. Your mind starts wondering, the window goes down, and you find yourself inching closer and closer to the fresh air even though it's 20 degrees outside. After a while that new car smell gets to be new "I don't feel so good" smell. Thankfully it has passed by now, or I've just gotten used to it, but let's just say my stomach is turning a little bit just thinking about it.

The new car smell is, understandably, a sense of accomplishment for a lot of people. I 100% support that and encourage you all to enjoy, relish, savor, and experience that smell. I just wouldn't recommend sitting in it for 4 hours.

25 Days of Thanks- Day 3

2008-12-03T22:44:00.002-05:00

Thankful- White Noise

Yes, I still live in college owned housing. Proud of that fact dagnabit! But living on campus comes with it, some, well, super powers. It's true. I have the uncanny ability to name you 20 songs from any bass line in a song. I can hear conversations through walls. I can also tell you if there's a fire truck within 5 miles. Oh yes, it's true.

I understand living in a residence hall or apartment building, that there are college students living around me. College students who should be able to live their lives, play their music loud, dance when they want to, and scream to let stress off. I'm not the type of residence life person who's going to jump on every little noise or every moment of loud music.

White noise for me is usually an air conditioner or fan. So I am thankful for white noise for two reasons:

It drowns out the random noises from the different apartments around me.
It's tough for me to sleep at my parents house. Why? It's too quiet. There's nothing at nighttime and so I start trying to listen for any little thing. I sometimes will bring a fan or turn on a radio just to get something in the background.

I'm sure I'll get over it quickly once I move into my own house but for right now, the fan will do. Oh and wave to the police car that's about to go by your house/apartment right now. I hear it coming...

Not So Thankful- TIVO Guilt

I can't take credit for the coining of this term but read this article and then come back:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/02/tivo.guilt/index.html

I have TIVO guilt and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've gotten better at it little by little. Due to time and space, I've dropped a few shows from my regular recording schedule just because I never watched them. But one thing remains on there and has been there for almost a year and a half.

I'm a big fan of the Price is Right. Back at CCHS, a few students would eat lunch in Mr. Corbiel's classroom every day right at the time the show was on. He'd break a few rules by letting a few people stay and watch the show with him. Even before then, my grandparents had, what I think was, the first version of the home board game. I grew up not loving the sentimental favorite Plinko, but the game Cliffhangers (Yo-Do-Lo-De-Oh). Anyway, I recorded Bob Barker's final show and have not watched it since.

I have no idea why. What I do know is that the guilt is there. Every time I go to my list, it pops up "The Price is Right, 6/15". While sharing a DVR issue story with a co-worker, I let slip that I didn't want to lose that show. Since they he and others have vowed to throw a Price Is Right themed party just to get me through the guilt.

One day, my DVR list will be clean, only to be filled back up with something else.

25 Days of Thanks: Day 2

2008-12-02T00:19:00.003-05:00

I'm being proactive since, technically, it's after midnight:

Thankful- Facebook

Facebook is great in a lot of ways from reconnecting with old friends and classmates, to being easy access for students to reach me. Some enjoy it for the games or the little programs, me, I enjoy it just keep in touch with people who I might never had been able to connect with.

Not So Thankful- "People You May Know" Section on Facebook

Every time I log in, there they are, staring at me. People who maybe I've met once or twice, or people from the way distant past who I'm thinking, "Would they remember me?" You don't want to come off stalker-ish but you also don't want to be "I'm not your friend". 3 faces. The guilt flows through me when I log in. Some I've just taken the jump, clicked on the "Add them as a friend" button, and put the ball in their court. But others, I'd like to be there friend but the rejection...

Granted it's been a helpful tool a lot of times when you see someone and you think, "OH! I didn't know they were on facebook!" Those people it's a easy click.

By the way, all people who are currently in my "People You May Know" section, it's not you, it's me. I'm the problem. I'm just not a "Oh my God I'm going to add everyone" type person. Sometimes it's just the fun of the surprise when you come across somebody who either sends you a friend request or you see out there in someone else's profile. But if you see me in yours, go ahead and add me. Most of the time, I'm in.

Yep, and I've also spent way too much time thinking about this one. Facebook, a blessing and a curse.

25 Days of Thanks: Day 1

2008-12-01T23:55:00.004-05:00

A lot has happened this year and with that comes a ton of reflection about the things we should be thankful for and the things we aren't. Now my family taught me to be thankful for everything but there are just somethings in this world that you're like, "Really? That made it into the mix of creation?" So with that, I plan on posting, each day, one thing in each category.

Thankful- Monday Night Television

The DVR is running wild on Monday nights for me. After finishing that first day of work from the weekend, I know I can just plop down on the couch and relax from 8- midnight. Here's the optimal lineup:

8pm- Chuck on NBC- Guy from nowhere becomes secret agent. Well written and they keep things interesting

9pm- Heroes on NBC- Back to back geekdom. Who hasn't dreamed of having the ability to fly?

10pm- One Tree Hill on CW- Trashy show that has seen it's better days but, yea, I've got nothing to justify this pick.

11pm- Big Bang Theory on CBS- Recorded from earlier in the evening. Some of the jokes in this show hit a little too close to home.

11:30pm- How I Met Your Mother on CBS- Also recorded. Each week is a different, hilarious theme.

No So Thankful- The towels at the gym

A while ago on this blog I mentioned that I'm trying to get in shape. I'm continuing to do pretty good but part of one goal always kept alluding me, the not looking like a tomato when I'm done. Admittedly, the running part has also been, well, absent, but, on average, 5 days a week I'm down at the gym playing basketball either by myself or with some co-workers. My basketball ability will be addressed in a later post, but each time I arrive at the gym I grab a towel and a basketball. And each time I leave the gym, I give everything back and get a funny look from the cage attendant. I've gotten used to the funny look. It's because my face looks like a tomato. I'd giggle inside if I saw my face approach. But tonight it all clicked thanks to the light shining just at the right angle...

I'm allergic to the towels at the gym

Yes, there's a lot on the allergy list. Today's reaction to the detergent or cleaner was horrible though. Eyes and cheeks swelled up. It was not pretty, both literally and figuratively. So note to self for the future, bring own towel.

No longer the owner of the worst car in America

2008-11-27T00:54:00.006-05:00

Car buying is like taking the SATs. You prepare, you study, sometimes you get together with friends and share tactics or quiz each other. Then you sit down to take the test, you're excited and want to jump right in. You give an snarky smile to the first few questions thinking, "I own this test", but soon you start hitting harder ones and the realization hits you that maybe you're not as prepared as you thought you were. After a few sections, you are psyched for that break when you can talk to your friends about the test but soon realize with both anxiety and disappointment that everyone had a different section than you. Finally you get back to it and by the end you're thinking, "Whatever, this sounds good... circle, circle, circle".

That is pretty similar to my recent car buying experience. I was excited doing research on edmunds.com, chatting with co-workers and friends who had good insight, and getting out and about test driving cars. But then I get to a dealership where the woman says to me, "You know, you own the worst car in America right now." I giggled at her statement but then in a split second changed to an "Oh s**t" face. I did (key word) own a Chrysler Pacifica. Gas guzzling SUV crossover made by a company that might not be in existence next week put me in a horrible bargaining position. The voices start to change after this ranging anywhere from ones of people offering to put my car in a lake (would have made for an awesome story) to family and friends who were trying to balance being supportive and not calling me stupid (By the way, everything friends and family said was spot on. The information and gentle nudges helped tremendously. I just needed to figure out what worked best for me.).

So this week I got back out there again and ended up buying a car. Talking with a good salesman he threw out an offer. I told him it was decent but that I needed to think about it. An hour later, I show back up and threw back a offer that cut his down payment in 2/3rds and his monthly by close to $30 thinking they would never take it. Well crap, I either didn't undercut it enough or they were just looking to close a deal. 5 minutes before closing time, I had a deal and a car.

Two Days Later...

The dealership let me take the car home for the Thanksgiving holiday with the agreement that I'd return on Friday to complete the paperwork. I show up, have a seat in the financial guys office and he says, "Well I've got some news for you". He proceeds to tell me that apparently financing rejected the lease agreement. It wasn't my credit, it was the economy, he explained. For $500 more I'd have a car and a lower monthly payment.

I don't bargain well. I'm not the best negotiator with people I don't know. I can work through a negotiation between two other people no problem when they're at each other's throats about what time the alarm goes off in their room. I've now come to understand that wheelin' and dealin' cars isn't my strong suit.

But I don't like to be messed with either. And that's all that's going through my head when he starts talking about, "Well do you have family who can loan you the money?" "Could you come up with it at a later date?" Both of which I stick to my guns and say that I just couldn't pull that cash together in any guaranteed amount of time. Then he says, "What about a different car?" FLAG ON THE PLAY- Bait and Switch, on the dealership, 450 mile penalty, time to go. I start turning the tables back on him saying something to the effect of that this isn't all going smoothly and I'm ready to take the Pacifica back. They can take the car with 450 miles on it and now that I now you all can go lower, I'm a little concerned that I got the best deal out of this. He leaves, comes back, closes the door, shakes my hand, and says, you've got the lower monthly payment.

Now watch, soon I get a job in a big city and I don't even need a car.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading!

Support for a reader

2008-11-16T22:18:00.002-05:00

You have probably seen by now the wildfires in California that are getting way to close to residential areas. If you have a moment, please say a prayer or keep in your thoughts an old co-worker of my sister's who is a reader of this blog. Heard that she and her family had to be evacuated from thier house today but have already been let back. To Yvonne and all those affected by the fires, my family's thoughts and prayers are with you. We'd love to give you some of the cold and snow we're getting out here but I don't think I'm in that good with the big guy upstairs!

Daylight come and he wan' go home!

2008-11-16T21:41:00.005-05:00

I'm sure that you have a ton of Thanksgiving stories just like my family. I know it's not quite Thanksgiving yet but I wanted to get this story out to my family before the craziness of the holiday hit. When I was around 10 or 12 years old, my family would head over to my great Aunt Lona and Uncle Mike's apartment for dinner. My Aunt Lona is a big singer and my Uncle Mike is a big collector. What he collects are old TV shows, old movies, and other things on television. One of the rooms to their apartment was dedicated to all his tapes. It was like an early version of blockbuster with things categorized and videos from floor to ceiling. It was amazing as a kid to see that amount of tapes. The only problem was that they were Betamax tapes and we know what happened to those.

After dinner would finish, my brother and I would ask him to go find a certain video that we, as kids, found hilarious. So Mom, Dad, Chris, Amy, Aunt Lona, and Uncle Mike, do you remember this:

My brother and I would huddle around the TV, cheering for this thing to come on, and three minutes later, my mom and dad probably downed a quick shot to get themselves ready for the non stop singing of this song for the next three hours.

The last time we were there, if I remember correctly, the tape continued. Again, my brother and I were probably 11 and 12, Amy was 6 or 7. My parents and others had diverted their attention back to the table and we were just continuing to watch. Anyone ever seen the movie Porky's? We did that night! Well, up until one of the more graphic and loud parts when everyone realized what else was on that video. I can remember my mom's high pitched "Oh my God" muffled by her hands covering her mouth followed by my dad's laughter. Then Uncle Mike gently and calmly walked over and removed the tape. Day-O was never to be played again, until now:-)

To all my friends and family, an early happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for all the laughter, smiles, good times, good memories, and support.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T01:34:00.004-04:00

Let me get something out of the way at the beginning here- Me and Halloween have never really gotten along. Bad things always seem to happen on Halloween ranging from the days of eggs and shaving cream to the current days of horrible duty calls. In this, the last Halloween of my 20s, I was determinded to turn things around.

A little Spain family history of Halloween. My Mom and Dad were pretty darn awesome in developing costumes for us. As a youngster, it was anything from clowns to superman (I know there's a classic clown picture out there that I'm sure my brother will ask me to take down out of embarassment). In the teenage years, it was all about Alf, along with some old outfits from my grandparents. If you don't know the show, check it out on YouTube and see some classic sitcom comedy, not any of that Hannah Montana stuff filling children's heads today (NOTE: With that line, I recognize that I just leaped into the crochety adult stage of my life). Even with the allergies to a lot of candy, Halloween would take a positive spin when we'd sit down and I'd get to pick good stuff from my brother and sister's bag in return for the chocolate and nuts.

This determination didn't really start though until today. For the past week, as the people in my office can attest to, I've been the Scrooge of Halloween. They've tried to turn my spirits around by putting random decorations on my door, but I usually responded with "I haaaaaaate Halloween!" Now, I didn't have a dream moment in which the three ghosts of Halloween, but I did realize that it's going to take a change on my end to turn these Halloween's around. So I bought a costume, joked about wearing it to work on Friday, and started off Halloween dressed as a gladiator.

I've got to say, this was the first Halloween in a lot of years that something bad didn't happen. Unless you consider the following picture:

The plan was for me to act like I was lifting up my outfit while giving a "cute" face. Instead, it looks like I'm blowing a kiss while getting into a sumo stance. So as a peace offering to the Halloween spirits, I show this picture to the world to provide many more Halloween holidays. Thanks to all those around me this Halloween (and in years past) who've made it a good time. I think it's going to start a good trend.

The Gorge

2008-10-24T23:49:00.007-04:00

My dad got my brother and I out golfing at an early age. We grew up on two courses. The first was Burden Lake where we took golf lessons. The second was Frear Park. The following things have happened on this course:

I didn't make the Varsity golf team one year on this course. I missed it by one stroke.
My dad used to run a night golf tournament at this place. It was awesome as a kid to see my dad hanging out and laughing with local celebrities and news personalities.
Also at these tournaments, my dad was given access to a work jeep that was a manual speed, "three in the tree" type cart. With my sister bouncing along with a huge smile on her face, I learned how to drive a stick shift. The only problem was that it was about 3 or 4 years before I could legally drive so I've lost that touch for a while now.

Frear Park also has one of my most feared holes in all of my golfing experience. I give you, the gorge

Now this may not look like much in the picture above but as a kid and as someone who was trying to make the golf team, this thing was a monster. No need to see the bottom. All there is is grass, despair, and golf balls of years past. A few weeks ago, my brother, sister, and I headed home to help out around the house while my dad was recovering from surgury. To get him out of the house for a little while, we ended up on the course. (Yes mom, he didnt play).

Anyway, back to the villanous 5th hole. Right from the beginning of the round, I had told my brother and dad that my goal the whole day was to drive the gorge. We pull up to the tee box with my brother invoking the movie Tin Cup saying you're probably not going to leave until you do. He steps up to show the way and blasts one clear over, inches from the green on this Par 4. He then says, "Over/Under for you is 3 balls". Damn it if he wasn't right that on that one. Third ball goes sailing over. Another check mark off the list:-) Here's a few more pics from that day. Thanks dad for the tips and Chris for kicking my butt yet again at golf. One of these days...

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-10-21T22:13:00.001-04:00

Not the best picture of the two of us (and I have no idea what we're looking at) but the guy in his famous green hat has a birthday today! To my grandpa who would drive down to Troy to pick us up after school or take us out to breakfast after Church on Sunday's, I hope you had a great birthday today and here's to many more!

Here's a better pic:

Happy Birthday Stacy

2008-10-20T23:34:00.004-04:00

A very Happy Birthday to Stacy. I was a little slow on this post last year but this year, I've gotten a little better. Only 5 days late:-) Hope you and Chris had a great day! Enjoy the new apartment and the new hairy bundle of craziness y'all brought into your apartment!

Welcome To The Newest Member Of The Spain Family!

2008-10-20T23:23:00.005-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Avon Barksdale (apparantly a reference to the HBO show "The Wire")! Chris and Stacy recently added this puppy to thier lives. Looks like he'll make for some good stories. That innocent face will only go so far...

Congrats:-)

Mobile Blogging

2008-10-19T21:49:00.001-04:00

This could be dangerous. Pics, videos, crazy on the road stories....

Problem is that I'm just sitting in front of my computer procrastinating some cleaning. I have a feeling this will come in handy one day though.

Time to get the unlimited text messaging plan!

Have a great day whereever you might be reading this:-)

-Jeff

Me and My Brother

2008-10-14T23:43:00.004-04:00

28 years and 13 days ago, Christopher Manion Spain was brought into the world. A blonde haired, blue eyed, bundle of joy. Not knowing what the world was in for, his older brother has been along for this ride of sports, California, and the honing of argumentative skills (yes, that's a politically correct way to say that we fought like any two young brothers do).

Now I have to remember that as I write this, I'm going to give this guy a "best man's" speech one day so I'm not going to share everything. I'm going to hold on to some stories, some insight, and some pictures, but he requested that I update this blog so he has something to read in class at law school. And I have no problem accommodating that wish with some stories about the two of us growing up...

I think if YouTube or America's Funniest Home Videos existed back in our early days, our parents could have made us celebrities for some of the stupid fights we used to get into. Some were epic, but most were over the smallest stuff. Really, it would be the names we called each other that would win us the money. For our future careers and wives, I'm not even going to post an example.
There is one fight that is still talked about to this day. It is the fight that brings a laughing "Don't you bring that up!" from my mom (She's probably doing it right now. It's ok mom. Put the hand down that you just put to your mouth after you did your "OH!"). It's a fight that involves drama, a misunderstood hero (me), a cackling anti-hero (Chris), and a shower. It's the infamous, the legendary, "Seabrook Fight". A little backstory that you may need to understand the epicness of this fight:

As a kid (ok, maybe still as an adult), I took long showers. It was the only place to get some peace and quiet in our house.
Each summer as a family we would travel to Seabrook, New Hampshire for a vacation. We would rent a house close to the beach.
I think one of the goals of each fight was to scream whatever we were saying at a level that attempted to exceed the others pitiful attempt. Chris never usually threw the temper tantrum along with it. I'll admit that it usually came out of me but...

The day at the beach had finished like any other and we headed back to the house to shower before going to dinner. I hopped in before my brother and enjoyed the quietness. After a while Chris comes barging in (cue anti-hero theme). Now usually the yelling match would ensue but I swear to you, I kept it calm. I honestly don't remember raising my voice. But Chris started in on the fact that he needed to shower before our dinner reservations in, oh, 15 minutes (cue dramatic camera shots that sweep back and forth between the two of us. But they're clean camera shots because, yes, I'm in the shower). Still maintaining my calm to his yelling, the curtain suddenly flies open and he rips me right out of the still running shower. Next comes another voice into the bathroom and one arm that grabs a stark naked me and another arm that grabs my brother. My mom enters and immediately starts in on me (Cue flashback that would show, statistically, she picked the right kid). I then lose it and, still naked, go absolutely batty. I mean we're talking purple in the face because I don't think I even stop to breathe nuts that she's even going to blame this on me. Over her shoulder I see Chris with a big smile on his face (that's right, I saw it) as she throws me into the closest bedroom and shuts the door behind her. (And yes, still, no clothes, no towel). The purple only changes to red because I do take a breath but continue to scream. (side note: I just realized that sometimes my parents probably just let us keep screaming at each other because they knew it would tire us right out. Hmmm). I eventually do stop the crying (oh yes, there were tears) and screaming but for many years, I held onto the innocence that I did not cause the fight to begin. I held onto the innocence that it was not my voice that brought her in from outside. Nay, the only thing I was guilty of was having a brother who probably got more enjoyment out that moment than any home run he hit before that, any basket he made in basketball, or any A he got on a test.

And then I grew up and realized that I did a lot wrong in this situation but I have yet to hear any admission from him that it was his voice that started the whole thing. How about this Chris, I admit to, as a kid, taking money from where you hid it (tucked in the St. Louis Cardinals flag that used to be attached to the ceiling) to rent a video game if you admit to your involvement in the "Seabrook Fight". (Cue camera going to a smile on his face and credits right before he admits it).

Another Chris and Jeff Spain story involves no fighting but simply a Strike 3 call. I was an umpire for little league as a young teenager. My very first game out of a quick, informal training session, was the championship game of my brother's league. Oh, and my dad was also the coach of my brother's team. You could not have written a better scenario in a movie as the game headed to the bottom of the 6th, 2 outs, runners on 2nd and 3rd, and my brother stepping to the plate. Having the flashback in my head right now, I even think I remember my mom saying in a soft, very gentle way behind me, "Call it fair Jeffrey". Again, I kid you not, it goes to a legitimate full count. Pitcher winds up, throws, and puts this ball wayyyy off the plate. To be honest, I think I even made the call before the ball got to the plate. "Strike three" I call. It wasn't like a "SSSTTTRRRIIIKKKEEEE TTTHHHREEEEE!!!". It was more like a soft, "strike thre" (leaving the last e off for emphasis). But at the same time it was uncontrollable. I don't think I consciously choose to call him out. My mind just took over and I remember looking down at my count clicker to click in the third strike and the last out of the game. The other team erupts. My mom immediately puts me in a car and drives me home. I think the first words out of my dad's mouth when he got home were in a very dad like way, "How far outside was that pitch?". Chris on the other hand, I may still have a shoulder twitch from the amount of times would would walk by me and "accidentally" knock his shoulder into mine.

There are a ton more stories but, again, I've got to save them for when I've got a packed house and a microphone in my hand. But I will leave you and him with this.

Chris may be a saint. He's been a great brother but in a few ways I'm comfortable mentioning here: He respectfully sat through numerous plays and musicals. He never used my allergies to his benefit. Most recently, he's been a voice that not too many people are comfortable being as I go through some life changes. He has been and will continue to be a great resource, a great friend, and a great brother. Much love to you on your birthday and every day. Keep on rockin to your "lack of a bass beat" music out in California. Say hello to Stacy for me. Never stop doing what you're doing. Thanks and have fun in class.

Recent conversations

2008-09-17T22:15:00.003-04:00

A snapshot of some of the conversations I've had recently...

I'll admit it, I have been watching the new version of 90210. Honestly, it's not that bad. It's not going to win any awards for the writing, but with being three shows in, it might be added to the Tuesday night watch list. Anyway, on the show one of the characters from the original show has a child but the audience doesn't know who the father is. Last week we found out and after the show gets over, I get a text from a fellow fan (names changed to protect the innocent. We'll call him Rick:-)). And it goes a little something like this:

Rick: Did you notice that Dixon lives in the Walsh house? And Dylan's the father of the baby huh?

Me: I didn't notice that but all they really said was Kelly was still in love with Dylan. They could be trying to pull a fast one.

(I go back and read what I just sent him)

Me: You know, I just reread what I wrote and I can't believe at 29 I just sent that kind of text message.

Rick: You know I'm 32 right?

In recounting this conversation to some coworkers at lunch, Lori Loughlin's name came up as she plays the mom in the series. One of them starts telling a story about how, over the weekend, she was at a friend's house and he popped in a tape of her in some movie with BMX riders and they did this dance at the school. I stopped her and said, "If you are about to say you were watching the movie RAD..." "Yes!" The lunch conversation suddenly turned to my face being completely red recounting how when either me or my brother were sick from school, we'd ask our parents to goto Eastside Video and if nothing good was out, we'd ask them to rent RAD. It's not that either of us were really into BMX racing but, for me, that movies has some cheesy feel good moments that as a kid, you thought they were pretty cool. So prepare yourselves for a trip back to 80s! In all it's awesomeness, I give you the video this coworker found on YouTube today.

My brother sent me this link to a CNN article about a woman in NYC who's started a series of monthly meals at local restaurants where people with food allergies can go and have a "Worry Free Dinner". Awesome idea and in talking with someone from RIT a few weeks ago, there have been a few families in Rochester that have been getting together and going to "safe" restaurants. During the conversation she invites me to one of their dinners and says it would be good for the parents to see that their child can grow up and survive (and eat a lot but I didn't say that and we've been covering that in the blog already). As I read further into her blog, I started thinking about what I might say to the parents. It would probably center around, "You're child is going to grow up and meet some awesome people including great waiters, waitresses, hostesses, managers, owners, chefs, and executive chefs. While some of these people will do thier best, mistakes will happen. It's beyond your control. And then they'll meet the people who will blow your son or daughter off, and that makes the decision real easy on where to eat because it sure ain't going to be there. 9 times out of 10 they will be helpful and you'll have a great meal. But every now again, you'll have to get back in your car and find anohter restaurant." There's some other things that came to mind but then this post hit me. I was like, YES! This girl hit the nail right on the head. Each restaurant is like a Cheers experience! I don't goto the lengths that this woman recommends but I do make sure before walking out that the person who helped me gets a handshake, a nice tip (key part for helping future allergy customers!), and a promise to come back. I honestly wouldn't change this part of my life. I've honestly never prayed at night and asked God to take them away. I'm kind of shocked right now realizing that but it's the truth. People who are close to me have been great at accepting it and even supporting it. When I say, "Thank you for thinking of me", I hope you realize that I truly appreciate your efforts, thoughts, and anxiety that goes into it.

Heading home to Wynantskill soon and one of my goals is to pull out some old classic pictures of the family. Hopefully should have that post up in beginning of October. Thanks for reading.

August Updates

2008-09-07T21:51:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy month but wanted to get some updates to you all:

I've always wanted to take one of those before and after weight related pictures. You know the ones where people are standing inside their own pants they used to wear. To update on the weight loss, I've dropped either 4 or 8 pants sizes from a 42 to a 36. The confusion comes from the fact that, while I do watch Project Runway and keep up with the "lingo" (Thanks Pratt), I have no idea if since they don't make 41, 39, or 37, do those count? Anyway, not quite ready for that pic but I've kept the size 42 pants and will be posting that one day. Still got some work to go.
Amy has joined us back on the east coast. This move has taken her to Boston where she's working for another location of the mediation firm she worked for in Los Angeles. From talking to her today, she sounds like she loves it. Her apartment is right near Harvard and has easy access to a lot of parts of Boston. She's taking more and more advantage of the city each day and is continuing to make connections with various people out there. Sounds like it's going to be a good fit for her which the family is very happy about.
Say a little prayer for my dad who's up for reelection to the North Greenbush Democrat Committee. Working as the chairperson for the past couple of years, he's hoping that on Tuesday, the people of the town will vote him back onto the committee to continue the good work that he's done. Good luck dad!
Just noticed that those pictures from Brian's wedding aren't coming through correctly, I'll get on that.
A shoutout one group of people who I've been spending a lot of time with over the past couple of weeks. In moving from the residence halls to the apartment area, I now work with Community Advocates who have some similarities to a RA in the Residence Hall. I just wanted to thank them again for a great training and some good laughs.
A lot has changed since the days of CCHS Varsity Golf. Nowadays, I've been playing in the RIT Faculty Staff Golf League. Each season they do two competitions, a Skins Game and a Team League Championship. Well, I am apparently the first person in the league to win the whole skins game. Usually the prize is split between a few people but thanks to what had to be a lucky bounce here or there, I won the whole thing. Then I went 2 for 2 by being part of the winning team for the league championship. It's been a good golf year:-)

That's about it for now. Keep on rockin wherever you are...

-Jeff

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-08-18T23:09:00.001-04:00

From the now infamous YMCA dance at Brian's Wedding. From the left, the birthday boy, Uncle Paul, Brian's new father-in-law, Brian, and Uncle Joe.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Congrats to Brian and Jamie Manion

2008-08-12T23:32:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I was briefly in Chicago for my cousin Brian's wedding. Great time connecting with friends and family. It was a weekend of good chats, good drinks, and good times. Here are some pictures from the event...

The Manion clan. Thanks to the angle of the camera, Andrea, Patick's wife, is blocked by Brian's head. Andrea does though get a special thank you for taking me back to my swing dancing days and even teaching me a new move!

One of the pictures that didn't come out was at the reception, the DJ pulls together a few of the Uncles, turns on YMCA, and dresses them up in costume. Hilarious moment that may need to be done at future weddings.

Alrighty so, this pic just shows a skyscraper. But, if you open it up you'll see why I took it. During the walk around Chicago, we came upon some ropes dangling from a building and water on the ground. We thought, oh, cleaning windows. Then in looking up, they sure are cleaning windows, THEY'RE ONLY HANGING BY A ROPE! There's no platform, no "at least I've got a piece of metal that I can stand on that seperates me from the ground", nothing! Just a rope.

So I'm in the bathroom (Never thought I'd write about a bathroom in this blog) at the reception, and as I turn to look for the sink, I see this sign. This place from the 1900s has apparantly had some pretty important people do there thing there. Just an interesting way to say, "Yep, this bathroom has been here for a while." A lot of history at the place and they did a good job with thier wedding reception.

So congrats again to Brian and Jamie! Thanks to both families for a great weekend!

So do I still need the personal trainer?

2008-08-12T23:22:00.002-04:00

Update on the health front:

I've hired a personal trainer and yes, she is kicking my butt. But it's in a gentle kind of way. It's almost that she says one thing but I feel like in her head she's screaming, "COME ON WIMP! I DON'T CARE IF YOUR ARMS ARE SHAKING." She's doing a great job and I highly recommend her.
But do I really need the personal trainer? Maybe the drums weren't a bad investment. Check this out!

Deleted Posts

2008-08-12T23:13:00.003-04:00

Some posts/pictures had to be deleted. No personal reason meant by it other than due to things going on in my life (and mentioned here). If you have any concerns, you know how to reach me.

Hey Buffalo Based Readers

2008-08-04T23:26:00.002-04:00

If you live in Buffalo and are reading this Tuesday, August 5, head on down to Nietzsche's (248 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY) this Tuesday. A fellow "higher ed"er is performing his stand-up comedy routine. After a bunch of Residence Life folks got together today at RIT for a "presentation", I got chatting with Chad Dispenza who works at SUNY Geneseo. Chad and I met through some NEACUHO stuff and he mentioned he reads the blog! In response, I told him I'd plug the show! Gonna try to actually make the trip myself but don't know yet. Show runs 8:30-10:00pm-ish. 10 comics, $3.

July Updates

2008-07-30T23:47:00.003-04:00

Whew! July came and went! Started off with a bang (bum dum, ching! (actually won't be the last drum reference of this post)) and is ending on some good notes. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you, July:

- American Airlines, if you read this, can I please give you one tinsy, tiny, bit of advice. Could you please advise you Customer Service staff that you cancelling a flight does not constitute someone saying to me, "Oh, you missed your flight." Seriously, Ingrid, my lovely Customer Service Ticket Rebooking Agent, wherever you might be, remember what we talked about. Because I show up late for a cancelled flight transfer does not mean that you can say, "Oh, you missed your flight". Ingrid and I bonded in those few minutes of back and forth discussing the definition of "Oh, you missed your flight" and I hope, in all seriousness, she is doing well and hasn't subjected anyone else to "Oh, you missed your flight".

- The flights from LA back to Rochester were interesting. My transfer in Chicago was cancelled due to weather which led to Jeffrey staying overnight there. Thankfully though, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Chris brought me to there house and let me stay the night there. BIG THANK YOU AGAIN! Don't know if I could have kept myself away from the awesomeness of Ingrid while there. While there at their house, I did become a temporary Pampered Chef employee. It was the least I could do for their hospitality. My Aunt Chris is a Vice President in the organization and was planning their big conference so I chipped in with some administrative help. Hope it went well!!!!

-Interruption to the updates, there is rockin good lighting storm going through the area right now. In my new apartment (which I'll explain in a second) I put my computer right in front of one of the windows and now I have a great view of all these storms passing through. I used to sit on the front porch of the building I lived in, but this ain't half bad. Just need to change the song playing on my Ipod right now, AC/DC "Thunderstruck". But I love a good thunderstorm! My house one day will definitely need a big porch where I can read and watch these things come rollin on through.

-I got a promotion in Residence Life here at RIT. Instead of working with undergraduate staff, I now work with graduate student staff. This also meant that I have to switch apartments. At first, wasn't a 100% sold on the apartment. Now being just one set of eyes, I was honestly worried about making it look nice. It's tough! I was in Target picking out shower curtains. It came down to a nice striped color pattern and one that had a comical drawing of the layout of the earth. I had to put the earth back. Thanks to Nick, Melissa, Lisa, John, Amanda, and Sherill who came over tonight for the design support. Haven't hung up the wall pieces I bought but they thought the pieces would look nice in the apartment:-) Phew!

-With all the changes going on, I had to do a little something for myself. You've hopefully by now seen the old picture of me playing the drums in that stylish outfit. Well on one of the shopping trips, I took a right instead of going straight and ended up in Guitar Center's parking lot. 15 minutes later, I was the proud owner of a new electronic drum set. I freakin' love this thing and it brings back a lot of good memories of those drum lessons, CCHS band, and the Contemporary Music Ensemble.

-I've also mentioned before that I get to have some amazing experiences in this job. Tonight was another one to add to the list. The people mentioned above all came over to watch Project Runway ("Holla at ya boy" I too can't believe I just typed those words, but I also can't believe they came out of Tim Gunn's mouth). The John in that list is John Nolan, Lisa's husband. John works over at GM in Rochester where they research fuel cell technology. One of the perks of his job is that he gets to take one of their four fuel cells cars home with him every now and again. Tonight they ended up driving it over here and after the show was over, Lisa pops up with, "Hey Jeff, want to drive it?" I was like, "Hell Yea!" (It would have been perfect to say, "Holla at ya boy" but I couldn't think that quickly on my feet). So I got to add driving one of only 180 fuel cell cars in America to the list of cool experiences. Thanks to them for that opportunity!

That's pretty much July in a nutshell. Hope things are well wherever you might be reading this.

LA Trip- Part 1- "8 hours from now, Tahoe. But we need to stop at Starbucks"

2008-07-08T00:31:00.002-04:00

I'm a big fan of Bill Simmons who writes for espn.com. The ones I enjoy the most are his running commentaries on different sports events. So in order to survive the first time our family has been in really close quarters for about 10 years, I thought, let's break out the blog and have a little fun. Without further ado, I give you the 494 mile adventure:

6:11- In the car. My dad already has the camera out. Just waiting. 8 hours from now, Tahoe.

6:21- Checking to make sure everyone has everything and we're off...to Starbucks. Chris can't find keys. Doesn't worry about it. Thinks they're in apt.

6:31- First seabrook quote. Can you smell the ocean yet? Spain Family Backstory: Every summer we’d pile into the car and drive to Seabrook, New Hampshire. That was 3 hours, this trip, 8 hours. We're on the way.

646- the first mom “sisst” (sucking the air between her teeth). 405 has lots of traffic

656- Chris's Ipod gets connected. Let’s just say we have different musical tastes. He’s a fan of the light stuff. I need something that has an actual drum track. At this time of day, I'm a fan of something that I can strum along to or belt out at the top of my lungs if it’s slow.

706- First fight in the car. Fitting that the song on at the time is The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel

710-Ipod given to me to change the song. Good move on my brother’s part. Calling my bluff.

716-Ipod given back because I couldn't find a song that had a drum track. Admittedly, yes he does have some good music but I couldn’t find any in the 6 minutes I had it.

718-Pass a Smokey the Bear fire threat sign. It’s labeled “High”. You can tell that with all the dried grass and brush that just a little fire can cause wide devastation.

732-My Dad whips out my brothers keys. They’re in his pocket.

1030-Stopped for lunch and realized something about family "discussions"- there's probably 20 different points that it could end if someone just let someone else have the last word

1122: There is a fly in the damn car. You try and you try but as you can never do that whole Mr Miyagi thing. And I’m using something a little bigger than chopsticks.

1143: We rented a van for this trip. I'm sitting in the 2nd row and just noticed the whole window next to me goes down. It's not the typical crack open, it's the whole window! Now I bring this up because I seem to be the only one in the car amazed by this. Maybe I've been sitting here for way to long...

1200: My mom's first scream. I got to be honest, surprised it did come sooner. Huge truck goes from the right to left lanes cutting us off big time. My dad slammed on the breaks. She thought my dad should have sped up to pass him.

1233: We've been thinking that it's just a hazy day but after rolling down the window we realize we're closer to the fires than we thought. Lots of smoke in the area around central California/ It's amazing people are living through this and breathing it in all the time.

1248: I finally driving! Knock on wood. Amy loses phone. Right in front of her. Chris makes fun of her.

1250: Chris can't find phone. In his pocket. No comment

214- Arrived. Crazy drive through mountains. Can feel a big difference in air quality. The smoke combined with the altitude makes for an interesting breathing experience. You get used to it after a few minutes but you can definitely tell a difference. After we got there everybody scatters leaving me to clean up the car. Now I know how my dad felt after we got to seabrook.

LA Trip- Part 2- "Why did you get Amy?"

2008-07-07T23:57:00.004-04:00

After getting settled at the hotel, it was time to relax and reconnect with a lot of family we've not seen in some time. As the wedding approached and my brother (he was in the wedding party) and parents went to the rehearsal dinner, Amy and I decided, why not travel to Reno. I've never been to Nevada and it was less than an hour away. On the way there we were chatting about a few different things including the fact that I thought "How cool would it be to see a bear before we left?" I'd seen them before in zoos but I thought it would be cool to see one in the wild. Remember this as you get to the last pic.

Don't know if you can tell from this picture, but yes, that is a seersucker suit with a pink bow tie.

So it's late at night. Everyone was hanging out after the dinner and just relaxing at the bar. I needed to head out to the car to get something and I take two steps into the parking lot. Now, hopefully you've seen the movie Ghostbusters where Venkman is staring down the hallway at Slimer and calmly says into his radio, "Come in Ray". Ray responds frantically and Venkman says, "It's right here Ray. It's looking at me." That was pretty much me after those two steps. I walk out to find a huge bear going through the dumpster in the middle of that picture (I tried to clean it up as best I could). I look up and it turns to look at me. What does a boy from Rochester do when a bear three times his size turns and looks at him other than freeze. I mean this was a Jurassic Park freeze. The bear seemed to have a puzzled look on his face, takes a few steps towards me which I match with a few LARGE steps back. Finally after a few seconds of this dance we're doing, I turn and calmly walk away back through the protective gate surrounding the hotel. But instead of getting hotel people, I yell for Amy. She asks what's going on and I grab her arm and lead her towards to parking lot. Now, instead of scream, she breaks out in howling laughter from our previous conversation. It was good brother and sister moment. Hotel staff did eventually respond and chased the bear away. As I go to tell my mom the story, she asks, "Why the did you get Amy?" Why did I get Amy? Well, because I knew it would bring a smile to her face to share in one of the more random moments of this trip:-)

LA Trip- Part 3- "Just a city boy, born and raised in north Detroit"

2008-07-07T23:24:00.006-04:00

Congrats to my cousin, Patrick Manion, and his wife, Andrea, on their marriage. It was a great ceremony followed by an equally awesome reception. Great speeches by the best man Tom, Uncle Paul, and Andrea's friends and family. The reception got really interesting which we'll discuss in a second...

A quick story about this picture. You might know the Journey song, "Don't Stop Believin". There's a line that could apply to the Spain boys (I was born southwest of Detroit, Chris was north of the city) but if you change the lyrics of the second verse to "north Detroit" it would directly apply to Patrick and Tom. So, we get the DJ to play this song and what happens, Chris grabs the mike, takes his shirt off, and starts singing at the top of his lungs. Yep, that's my family:-)

Are we singing the same song?

LA Trip- Part 4- "The Green Truck"

2008-07-07T23:04:00.005-04:00

A great story from the wedding is that the wedding party was taken from the church to the reception in an old green truck.Now, this wasn't any old green truck. The story behind the truck is that Andrea's brother, who unfortunately passed away a few years ago, along with his best friend rebuilt the truck together over a lot of years. Little by little they refurbished the whole thing. The last time it was used was at his funeral. It was a touching moment to pay tribute to him.

My dad was really moved by this story and in talking to the guy driving in the picture about the story, he offered my dad an opportunity to drive it. He was really touched by the moment.

LA Trip- Part 5- "No sir, we've never lost a car"

2008-07-07T22:35:00.005-04:00

Right outside of our hotel was the Squaw Valley Cable Car. Bringing you from the base of the valley up to their "High Camp". From here, there are some tremendous views including some of the lake. Due to the fires in the area, Lake Tahoe was tough to see but it didn't cloud some of the great scenery near by.

On first trip back down, there were only a few people in the car. My dad pipes up with a great question to ask very high off the ground, "Ever lost a car?" The operation responds, "No sir, we've never lost a car." On the second trip, the conversation went in a completely different direction. Keep in mind, it's the same operator:

(After passing one of the towers) Operator: Be prepared for a small swing as the car passes the tower. (Side note: Yep, the car swings and it's as scary as it sounds)

Random Person: So one of these cars ever drop?

Operator: Nope, the cars have never fallen.

Random Person #2: What about what happened in '78?

(Now, I do ok with heights. Didn't as a kid but after some of the jobs I've had, I've become ok. But the silence after this question was asked was way too long for anyone, fear of heights or not)

Random Person #2: Oh sorry man, didn't mean to call you out there.

Operator: (silent)

Me: No really, what happened back in '78?

Operator: Ok, so on April 15, 1978 we had an incident with one of the cars in which one of the cables dislocated from the tower and struck the car. 4 people died, 32 were injured including one who fell from the car. He actually only suffered a broken rib and was able to walk away thanks to snow breaking his fall (Side note- There wasn't any snow underneath the car).

In continuing to tell the story, he stay selective with his words but tells some awesome stories of the rescue operations including one guy who actually walked down the cables to the car without any safety equipment but carrying rescue supplies.

And that will be the last time Jeffrey will be riding the cable car...

From 8600 feet above sea level, here are some pics from the two trips:

LA Trip- Part 6- "Mile High Golf"

2008-07-07T22:33:00.006-04:00

I've had the opportunity to play golf at some great places, but this one rivals all of them. Thanks to my Uncle and cousin for organizing this outing. Amazing surroundings and amazing weather for a great round of golf. Here are some pics:

Chris won the long distance drive contest. He was pounding the ball out there.

LA Trip- Part 7- "The Trip Back"

2008-07-07T21:56:00.008-04:00

Not as long as the last one but still memorable...

12:17pm-Everybody welcome Stacy to the car.

So we pile in after Amy, my Dad, and I getting off our second cable car ride.

12:20- Still trying to figure out seats. Can't find gps. We claim we don't need it. Let's see how this goes. Stacy asks the first "Are we there yet?".

12:23- we're off.

(cue crazy drive through the mountains)

2:16- Just got done with a little In N Out. Real simple menu but what I didn't realize are all the secret items you can order. Check them out here. Stacy is now in the driver seat. Does she know what she's in for?

3:34- Man, this is boring. No drama. Everyone is keeping their mouths shut. Quick stop Lodi, CA.

5:40- How can a McDonalds not have ice? Even with the 97 degrees outside, they don't even have ice in the drive through. I move to the back back of van.

6:04- It took till now for the Spain family car to erupt into a political discussion.

8:15- Arrive at my brother’s apartment. It’s a nice place in a good area. The deli on the corner sells Coke products in the old glass bottles. Here are a few pics:

LA Trip- Part 8- "I Love This Pier"

2008-07-07T21:38:00.006-04:00

After driving back to Los Angeles, my family got to spend some time on Chris, Stacy, and Amy's home turf. The trip included a stop at the Athletic Club Chris and Stacy belong to, another round of golf, a stop at the law firms my brother and sister work at, and a trip to my mom's favorite spot. Here are some pics from that part of the trip:

I think if it were possible, my mom would live on this pier at Manhattan Beach.

The whole gang, me, Amy, Janice (my mom), Jeff (my dad), Stacy, and Chris

While waiting for my luggage...

2008-06-24T23:19:00.003-04:00

Just getting back from the ACUHO-I conference and figured I post a few updates:

You can't help but smile when you're down at Disney World. No matter what's going on in a person's life, everywhere you turn there is a kid and/or adult smiling. One smile that I don't think will drop from my mind for some time is when I first got there. Disney provides a shuttle service from the airport to any of their resorts. I hop on after being greeted by a number of different Disney people and take my seat. After finally being able to sit down and relax I hear a familiar song in the background ("You can fly" from Peter Pan) and close my eyes. Some rustling continues around me, bus driver comes on and says they'll be playing a video welcoming us to the park. I open my eyes back up to find an family with a young boy, maybe 9 or 10, sitting in front of me. I do the polite Jeff Spain nod and get ready for the video. The Disney theme starts up and I catch myself cracking a nostalgic smile. As I do, the kid in front of me, turns to his family, gives them an excited smile, then peers through the crack between the seats and flashes a smile my way. It'll be hard to forget until I have my own kids. Can't wait.
A shoutout to Scott Victor who is participating in the Disney Internship program. Scott will be donning a cowboy hat everyday and saying "Howdy" as he greets visitors at the Fort Wilderness campground. Scott was the RA for the Business Leaders of Tomorrow group I advised this year. Was able to catch up with him and even got a tour of the campground and other parts of the property.
If you are involved in any management or leadership development profession, take a look at how Disney does things. Part of the conference was a session about the Disney style of management and leadership and there are some great things that can be "borrowed" to help any manager or leader.
How many people can say they've been to Disney World and Disneyland in the same week? You can tentatively add me to that list because tomorrow morning it's out to Los Angeles for some much needed family time including my cousin's wedding. An early congrats to Patrick and Andrea Manion!

Off to get my luggage thanks to flying standby on an earlier flight. Hope that it gets here! I'll have more updates next week from that side of the country. Until then, keep smiling:-) It's a small curve that can straighten a thousand things.

It's Time

2008-06-16T22:36:00.003-04:00

Two reasons for this post:

1) Every August for the past 10 years has meant one thing, RA training. Each year it's a different experience filled with meeting new people, sharing ideas, and listening to new ways of how I can build my professional self piece by piece. There are a lot of presentations I remember from labeling exercises to the numerous (and rockin' good) tech talks I've given.

Last August was a little different. I think it was the keynote speech for the 2007 training where a woman who works at RIT named Colette Shaw came in and talked about the development of a book she wrote. To write a book takes a lot of work but what got her through it was by telling people about it. She recommended to the students to tell people about their goals but be prepared because you'll be accountable to them.

2) Just finished reading "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. It's one of those books that I'm going have to read again with a highlighter or set of post-its to capture some of the great sentences and anecdotes that he wrote. Highly recommend putting it on your reading list. With it's focus not necessarily being on that life is short, it's more about living life with a purpose and to it's fullest extent.

Now, from here, this post could take on a stereotypical, "I'm going to tell you everything in my head" type writing. But, as I've mentioned before, I don't want to live my life through a blog. A big part of my life has been connecting with people 1-1. Can't really see who's reading this. Can't ask them what they thought. I don't believe I can truly connect with people without getting to them face to face.

So I'm going to be a little selfish and use this blog for my own good. Putting Colette's words into action (but not giving away all the cards (goals) in my hand(head)) and having realized something else from reading that book (read it yourself (I'll let you borrow my copy!) and you may find some clues as to what I'm talking about) I'm posting two, count em, two goals for the world to call me on:

Before the winter is here, I want to be able to run 4 miles without looking like a tomato when I'm finished. Just want to be able to do it with a little bit of ease
Lose 20 or more pounds in six months (edited to be more specific)

I've got some plans in place and have been working on them already (lost 15 pounds) but now that these are out there, it's a whole new ball game. I don't want to let you down.

Happy Father's Day 2008

2008-06-15T16:26:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers I know out there. Thanks especially to my Dad, Grandpa, and Pa for their support over the years!

Two updates

2008-06-09T23:28:00.004-04:00

- Yep, it was a hot one:

- After the t-shirt gun expereience, a few people sent me this link to Bud Light's tribute. Enjoy:-)

http://www.allowe.com/Humor/audio/BudLite/Mr%20T-Shirt%20Launcher%20Inventor.mp3

Chris vs. the LA Dodgers Fans

2008-06-07T00:09:00.004-04:00

Head over to this link and fast forward/watch till around 43 seconds:

mms://a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/2008/open/mlbam/2008/06/05/mlbtv_chnlan_556477_400K.wmv

(You may need to copy and paste this link into your browser)

What you'll see is a guy run down some stairs after a Mark DeRosa home run. Well, it's not just any guy, it's my brother Chris!

Appartantly he gets the home run ball but then the whole stadium starts chanting "Throw it back". What does he do, he threw the darn ball back. Don't know if I would have had the guts to keep it either.

June 1, 2008

2008-06-01T00:13:00.005-04:00

It's amazing what you have to think about when going through something like I'm about to mention. Whether it's this blog, facebook, when to tell, who to tell, or what to say, I can't think of any perfect way. Please also don't expect perfection out of the words I'm about to write. So here goes...

I am going through the process of ending my marriage

Typing them is not easy, talking about it isn't easy, finding the words to put this out there isn't easy, and coming to this decision hasn't been or will it ever be easy.

Admittedly, this is out of left field for a lot of people. I've got no perfect words to say to convince people of this decision nor do I feel that a blog post should try and convince anyone. But this is the direction I felt things needed to go in. If you have questions or want to check in, I'm sure either of us will take your phone call or answer your e-mail.

Thanks to those who have been there for us. Thanks to those who have been resources, sounding boards, or people who have been there with a smile through this. The help, information, and talks have been and will be appreciated.

-Jeff

The Bleacher Reacher

2008-05-19T23:32:00.005-04:00

Just realized that pictures were never posted from the T-shirt cannon experience. And it goes a little something like this...

My big boss, Chuck, decides it would be a good promotional experience to rent a t-shirt cannon and shoot off Res Life t-shirts during a hockey game. So he and Matt Colaprete hop online and find a place. About a week later, Matt comes strolling into my office saying, "You gotta see this". I walk out into our main office to see Chuck and him standing over a huge suitcase with smiles as if it contained the Stanley Cup. So Chuck goes to open it and right on top are the directions, which get tossed aside, only then to pull out, the "Bleacher Reacher". No lie, it had a huge decal right on the side that said "Bleacher Reacher". After realizing that the air tank needed to be filled with air, anticipation spread as Matt went to go get it filled. We then proceeded outside, hooked the canister up, put a shirt in fired, and PHOMPT...

it went about 5 feet

Dramatic silent pause as we look to each other thinking, "This thing sucks". After turning a few dials we try again. PHOMPT! The shirt goes maybe 7 feet. Feeling a little defeated (but laughing pretty darn hard) we blame it on the wind, head back inside, mull over the newly opened directions, and realize that we weren't doing anything wrong. The gun gets packed up and we call it a day.

Chuck wanted to break it out at two games. The first would be he and Matt, the second night would be me and Matt. First game, Chuck's got the gun, walks out onto the ice, and puts a t-shirt clear into the ceiling of the ice arena. I get this story the next night and I'm thinking it's going to have a hell of a kick. Me and Matt chat about who's going to use the gun and he allowed me to take a crack at it. Here's a picture of me in action thanks to Bruce Bufford and Mike Greenberg:

We only had a few minutes out there. Bruce, Kyle Schradel, and Matt went off to throw a few shirts into the crowd. I got off about 6 or 7 and they flew out of that thing. But then, in front of, oh, 2000 people, this happens

Ok so yes, that guy on the far right is doing a "safe" sign. Bruce is the guy in the blue polo. Kyle is next to him helping, yep, me, up off my butt. What this picture doesn't show is a few things:

Bruce and I feel completely in sync according to people.
All that was going through my head as I'm falling is "Don't break the gun". Not "Protect Yourself", just "Protect the gun".

All in all, it's one of those experiences I'll never forget.

-Jeff

Since the last update...

2008-05-19T22:50:00.007-04:00

Lots has happened since the last update. Here's a brief recap:

The RITchie Experience- Working at a University provides you with a lot of opportunities that you wouldn't get in a normal job. These include shooting off a T-Shirt gun ( I think I posted pictures of that one) and being an announcer at a hockey game. Most recently, I got to dress up as the RIT mascot RITichie. Yep that's me below. Thanks to Dr. Ward for a great picture. Also thanks to Nick and Melissa Ippolito for being my eyes and ears cause I really couldn't see a darn thing!
I also have had the opportunity to see what some students get their hands dirty with each day from learning how pottery is baked in a kiln, to how a snowboard gets it's edge, to how young deaf and hearing students learn, to how a forum gets on the internet, and to how a robotic arm and lung gets made. There are many more experiences that could be their own book but thanks to all the CAs and the RAs who have let me become part of their lives this year.
Congrats to Paul and Erin Zablocki! Recently they welcomed a very cute Olivia into the world!
Congrats to newly married Lisa and John Nolan!
My supervisor, Cha Ron Sattler, is right now, having what sounds like a great time in South Africa as part an educational trip through a student affairs organization. Continue to have fun down there Cha Ron!
Also congrats to Fr. James Kirkpatrick. Jimbo, an old college roommate and resident when I was a RA, was ordained as a priest this past weekend in Buffalo. While I was there I got to see some old college friends...
These college friends deserve their own bullet because congrats should also go out to Sean and Becky Berry who are pregnant and to Nate and Amy Jay who have raised two great kids, Thomas (8 years old) and Samantha (1 and 1/2). I've also got to throw Jerry J. into the mix for becoming a successful doctor out in Detroit.

There's another long update coming but it will have to wait until next week.

This one is for the parents, the "St. Jude"ers, and the ACPAers

2008-04-05T00:27:00.005-04:00

So back in Mrs. Champelleo's (don't think I'm spelling that right) third grade class, we learned about the 13 colonies. One of our assignments was to create a poster presentation on any of the colonies. Well, Jeffrey picked Georgia. If I remember the assignment correctly, we had to find out both present day (1986ish) facts and colonial time facts. Don't remember any of them but I do remember thinking, "I'd like to visit this place." Maybe it was the Coca-Cola plant?

I do remember, as with a lot of projects, keeping my parents up trying to draw an outline of the state.

Well, that thought of visiting came true more than 20 years later, and I did it with some very cool people. The American College Personell Association held thier annual conference down there this past weekend. Had a great time and got to reconnect with some old friends and colleagues. I was surprised at how many people in conversations mentioned they read this blog!

Some specific thanks and thoughts go out to:

Kathleen and Kristy from RIT who provided a ton of laughs and support.
Alex from RIT for putting up with my shaky sign language
The rest of the staff from RIT past and present who went including Mike D, Jen and Matt Hinton, Dr. Heath, Collette, Josh, Corey, and Carrie.
The Canisius Higher Ed Program Alumni for including me as a half member. Specifically Mary and Christina who I still owe a drink to!
The candidiates for positions at RIT who I enjoyed meeting and chatting with.
The NYU friends and alums who I wish I could have connected with more
Cha Ron, Sharon, and all the CAs for holding down the fort so that I could be gone for two weeks (conference + mom trip)
and to the RIT staff who helped me get to the conference

-Jeff

Updates:-)

2008-03-24T21:41:00.004-04:00

A few updates for you:

I'm in Michigan with my mom. Was on the University of Michigan campus today killing time before her procedure at the U of M hospital. Almost bought a $40 set of Michigan themed golf club covers...
The promotion is official. I'm now working in the apartment area for RIT and with some great graduate students. It's a lot different than the residence halls and will miss the good times there but it's a great opportunity and look forward to making new "good times".
The Pacifica hit 50000 miles on this trip. Almost in the same place that it hit 40000. Same country at least.
A traffic jam in the Michigan-Canadian border almost stopped me on the border line. Couldn't get my phone out fast enough to take a picture. Still getting used to my new phone...
After here in Michigan it's off to Atlanta for a conference:-) Looking forward to checking this place out which happens to be right down the street from the hotel.

Once I've got the camera function nailed down on my new phone, I hope to post more pictures from our travels. Hope things are well where ever you are reading this!

-Jeff

Happy Groundhog Day!

2008-02-03T02:44:00.000-05:00

I know I'm a few hours late but after watching Groundhog Day for the hundredth time, I had put up my favorite quote from the movie:

Phil: Do you ever have Deja Vu Mrs. Lancaster?
Mrs. Lancaster: I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen

Hope you had a great Groundhog Day.

-Jeff

Amy's In California!

2008-01-29T21:55:00.000-05:00

Yea, so, um, there's snow outside. And what does she send me, the picture below.

In all seriousness, congrats to Amy for successfully making the trip out there and for getting a job. She'll be working for the same company that my brother worked at and we're excited that she starts Monday.

Sounds like Chris and Stacy are also doing well out there! All three of them are living together in an apartment in Santa Monica.

Spain Christmas 2007- Round 2

2008-01-01T01:03:00.001-05:00

This year Christmas was spent with my family out in good ol' Wynantskill! Thanks to my Mom and Dad for a great time. Below are more pics from the time we were there.

Big Al getting his new Notre Dame sweatshirt!

The newest member of the Spain family, Nicholas Franchi (my cousin Sarah's son).

Spain Christmas Pics 2007- Round 1

2008-01-01T00:59:00.001-05:00

For the directionally challenged member of the Spain family. Say some prayers for her road trip out to Los Angeles.

The hit of Christmas was a game called Rock Band. It's a game that has a drum set, guitar, and microphone. Buddy Holly (aka Chris Spain) is rocking out on the guitar and Amy is playing the drums.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T23:08:00.001-05:00

A very Merry Christmas to everyone! I wish you all safe travels, lots of smiles, and good times with family and friends this Christmas. Thanks to all those who have touched my life in some way.

Updates

2007-12-23T23:04:00.001-05:00

A few updates:

- Congrats to Lisa and Mike Garvey who added another bundle of joy to their family. We wish them lots of happiness and sleepFULL nights! A lot of awesome pictures can be found here: http://royaltoybox.blogspot.com/

- I got an interim promotion! The past two years I've been managing the RAs in one of RIT's residence halls. Well, about two weeks ago, I was asked to move over to the apartment area and start supervising graduate students. In addition, the number of students that I will be helping with has increased a lot and the living situations they are in are more apartment style communities. I also will start overseeing students living in the RIT Inn and Conference Center and get to learn more about college students living in private housing. We'll still be living in the dorms and won't have to switch apartments.

I will definitely miss the RAs that I've supervised so far but as I've said a few times, I'll still be around. I look forward to this great opportunity and to working with the talented new staff.

Upcoming posts should include pictures of the apartment with all the decorations, pictures of the holiday visits, and other updates from the craziness :-) Hope you all are doing well!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2007-12-04T15:38:00.000-05:00

I sent this picture to my brother with a nice message that wouldn't be appropriate to share in a public space but the point is, WINTER IS HERE! The neon (with 104,000 miles on it) has been parked in the RIT parking lot overnight and thanks to mother nature finally figuring out which season it was, the lake effect snow piled up. So to Chris, Stacy, and soon, Amy, enjoy the *?&%!@! warm weather in California.

Stay tuned for more frequent updates to the blog and an update about the new position that I've been asked to step into:-)

UPDATE 12/5 @4pm- It's still snowing...

Other old pictures...

2007-11-04T21:34:00.000-05:00

More old pictures and some running commentary...

Rocking the drums at St. Jude's. That white suit is sweet!

Every year, my family heads out to Seabrook, NH for a little R & R. I don't exactly know what's wrong with me in the picture but those were some awesome times.

Thatcher Park in Albany. Channeling my inner karate kid? What the heck am I doing?

Yep, that's me to the left! Also in the picture are my cousin Annie and my grandmother from my mom's side.

Old Golfing Pics

2007-11-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my dad, my brother and I got bit by the golfing bug early. Here are some pictures from Oakland Hills in Michigan.

Two notes about the picture above: 1) That hat would still rock on the golf course. I know you're jealous. 2) I think the bottom part of my glasses go past my nose. Them lenses are huge! But they were stylish back then:-)

New Apartment

2007-11-04T21:23:00.000-05:00

Congrats on the new apartment to Chris, Stacy, and Amy! Below are some pictures from it. Hopefully their balcony has a better view than the one shown in the second pic! Looks awesome otherwise:-)

Chris's Birthday

2007-11-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

As a present to Chris, Stacy gave my brother a hotair balloon ride. Awesome job Stacy because Chris was psyched talking to me on the phone about it!

Sorry it took so long for these pics to get up:-( His birthday was on Oct. 1st

-Jeff

Congrats to my Dad

2007-09-05T22:57:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Jeff Sr. who had a major victory tonight at the County Democratic Party Caucus. After being elected Democratic Committee Chair he became involved in a pretty heated political battle with some folks who aren't playing too nicely. But the people of the county showed their support for him and his group, and backed 6 out of the seven candidates he put forward. Nice job Dad! For more information, head over to http://www.ngdems.com.

(Now the man just needs to get caught up on his golf game before his sons, daughter, and even daughter in law catch up to his skills!)

Crazy Couple of Weeks!

2007-09-02T15:41:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, the past couple of weeks I've been in RA Training. Part of the training was a Photo Scavenger Hunt. Here are some of the pics that my RAs took:

All 12 (Lindsey and Jamie are trying to peek over the wall)

Gleason Residence Hall and in the windows J-E-F-F

Ok, this one needs a story. One of the things to accomplish was to take a pic of was the staff with our Asst. VP, Dr. Heath and you got bonus points if he was wearing a Residence Life shirt. Well, Dr. Heath wasn't wearing one, but Jeff was. So, how else do you solve this problem than have Jeff in his undershirt in the middle of the cafeteria? :-) Don't know if you can see the brilliant shade of red I'm turning.

From right to left in the pic above, the names of the Gleason staff this year are Mike, Nicole (sitting), Kyle, Liz, Angie, Asst. VP Dr. Heath, Prajna, Jamie, Chris, and Joe. Missing are R.J. and Lindsey.

Jeff Sr.'s Birthday

2007-08-27T22:49:00.000-04:00

Finally! Happy Birthday to my dad who celebrated the big day on August 18th. My mom got him a variety of good wine and we got him a Starbucks Gift Certificate. Also celebrated with some sparklers purchased in good ol' New Hampshire!

A little father/son help there.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Craziness

2007-08-20T13:14:00.002-04:00

Still alive! Look forward to pictures from my Dad's Birthday (August 18th), RA Training, and other Spain craziness:-)

-Jeff

Passing Away of a Good Family Friend

2007-07-27T20:53:00.001-04:00

Our family friend, Mary Curley, has passed away. She and my family became pretty close through my mom's work. On Tuesday she passed away. When reading this, please give a few seconds to remember her and all those we've lost in our lives. Thanks...

Tigers sweep the Red Sox!

2007-07-10T00:23:00.001-04:00

Had a great time watching the Tigers on a beautiful but hot day.

If you read next to the line score when you click on the picture above, the temperature says 90 degrees! Some radio reports said it got as hot as 95 on the field. We had a great time though!

Tigers's Win!

My new desktop at work and home:-)

Driving to and from Michigan

2007-07-10T00:17:00.001-04:00

These pictures from driving through the great country of Canada in order to get to Michigan!