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Not only will I be graduating on May 23rd I “have been selected to be the graduate” commencement speaker.” Whoa! Who? Wha? How could this be? on April 25th I sent a 3 min speech, in all its draft glory, and thought “There are so many holes in this speech. There is no way this will be selected.”

I’m still thinking “No way?! No way. No way!”

I don’t consider myself a writer and will continue not considering myself a writer. That’s not my thing. I have other people in my life that do that - emma, BT, Marty, etc.

So. Instead of relaxing and reading two books - one nearing completion and the other completed - I’ll be working on a speech and doing my best to memorize it. HFCIT!? Holy uber unexpected. Truly a speechless moment. Nearly everyone says “You’ll be so comfortable up there!” to which I find myself saying “I’m terrified. This is completely different than acting. Completely different.”

While my experience on stage will help me public speaking is a game of its own. For those in attendance close enough to see me or those of you with binoculars I may sound and look calm, cool, and collected but know that I’ve been tense in my neck, shoulders, and have likely had a headache for a few days.

I can say all this even though commencement isn’t for 10 days. Why? The moment I read “congratulations” I felt my muscles tighten. What does that mean? It tells me I have an abundant amount of energy and emotion at the ready.

If Ed Sherin were here he’d ask me “How do you feel?” I’d say “Terrified.” (with a smile). He’d ask “How does that feel?” “Good. No. Great. I feel great!” My feelings won’t control me but I’m not going to attempt a burial. Why would I do that?! Jimminy!

Ganbarimasu! (I’ll do my best!)

acronym assistance help time:
hfcit - how freakin cool is that
tirfcmf - that is really freakin cool my friend

All this and more filled the room at Gram’s place yesterday (Mother’s Day). I learned about her night time adentures bacck in the day when it wasn’t commen for women to be out late driving around (aka home). She told me/us (mudda - Gary S and Joseph were there too but were napping) that she made a fake ‘man’ passenger because she had been followed a number of times. She cut the lights and turned down her driveway to lose the shadow driver.

The fake passenger inccluded a fedora hat. HFCIT!

She (Gram) said she did things that weren’t common. She was a ground breaker. I punctuated the sentiment by asking/saying something along the line of ’so all of my ground breaking different approaches were to be expected then… yea?’ It’s in the blood would have been the best answer except, as noted, there isn’t any shared blood.

My (close) extended family and I share a close nit bond but only a handful of us actually share genetics. It’s entirely peculiar. Brothers and sisters with different fathers and/or mothers and small percentage with the same moma and dad.

Then there was me - the only child. In a family best described as a mixed tape I somehow found myself the only single purchased from iTunes. My world upbringing was so different and yet shared so many simliar people and things.

Shifting gears, emma is the only grand child that is remotely interested in having a child. Such a strange turn of events. Off to the day. To be noted — There are only 5 days left in the semester… My last semester in my MFA.

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OK I did lose something. My ring finger is lighter. Less with the weight. Pullin me down. Oh so low. Down, down, down.

The good news. Yes! There is good news in all this. Stay with me here.

It’ll all be over in six week. That’s all this process will take. Whoa! Strike that. Five weeks. Wow! That first week flew by like a rocket. Good stuff. Ho-lee! Right. By the 23rd of May things will be… Gosh, how do I say this.

Well, they’ll be back to the way things were back on Jan 7, 2006. My ring will be just like new thanks to the supreme customer service kindness of Kazutoshi (he’s the main man in the NY location) and Machiko (formerly of Niwaka now with Kiteya in Soho). Niwaka provides a free cleaning service within two years of the purchase. Well, due to the Soho store closing and the timing of the Grand Opening (Dec 2007) I wasn’t able to take advantage of this fantastic service.

An email or two later things were organized for the service. I just needed to find time to get to the store. Last week emma and I zoomed into the city, dropped off the ring and then zipped east to Candle Cafe for dinner. Yum. Yum. And yum. I think I could eat their food daily.

With the ring in Kazu’s hands the ring has be sent back to Kyoto, Japan for the fixin up’in. When they do things they do em all the way. It was made there. It’ll be fixed up there. And that’s just the way it is. Squee!

So, by the time I walk at commencement my rockin ring will be back from Kyoto uber fixed up and ready for the camera. Six Four!

I started watching it because I was bored and needed something to listen to in the background. After listening to the intro and hearing the first 10 minutes I had to keep watching. Thanks to Joost I was able to watch the entire series and found a new show to speak highly of in the typically negative reality TV show market. What what?

Stan Lee’s “Who Wants to be a Superhero?” (which I just see has a second season - let’s line that up in the queue… Heheheh) was wonderful. A reality show where the contestants drank milk or water at dinner and helped people while trying to help each other overcome ‘insurmountable odds’! Sure, sure, sure — blah, blah, blah — it’s boring watching people being nice to each other…

Wait-a-minute, why is it boring to watch people treat each other with respect and kindness. Right. THIS is why I enjoyed “The Pickup Artist” and why I’ll watch the second season of Stan Lee’s show. So psyched it was brought back for season 2! Mwaahahahaha!

The Pickup Artist did not reveal how to be a slime-bag, sleazy, insensitive guy. No, the hosts taught a groups of men that truly had no ability to communicate with the opposite sex and/or the same sex in public settings. They just didn’t have the right tools. We all start there, some just happen to pick up the tricks faster then others. Some. Well, some never learn.

The contestants on this show, many of them, did. Of course not all did due to the elimination element of the show but the final few were hella-rockin the boat.

I truly do wish Americans found this type of mind set to be more fulfilling than the back stabbing, constant bickering, etc. reality TV shows typically aired. Despite my lack of interest in American Idol, I can appreciate the fact that the show is finding talent and putting it on display for millions to see. Oh, and hear. Once in a while someone slips through the rounds due to support from the Internet and/or Howard Stern - which is meant in fun but turns into a sad spectacle in the media.

The wonderful thing about the media today is that they’ll bury the story because they know there are other more pressing and important news feeds to report on… Shoot, wait, wrong country. Sigh.

If you are in the mood for a positive, uplifting show where you’ll see some astounding character development and friendship check out The Pickup Artist. I hope it returns for a second season.

One last thing… There are plenty of hats to giggle, gasp, and heartily laugh at during the show. The main host “Mystery” knows his stuff but the hats… Holy Moly!

I signed into a website called: Geezeo

Today, I’m featured on their blog as a “Super User”! (insert super hero music here) Dun dun dun!!!

I’m posting the interview after the jump for historical purposed but you can click on over to their site to read the full on details by way of this happy go lucky link: we heart Gary Ploski

we heart Gary Ploski

If you’re a Geezeo user, you probably know Gary Ploski. Maybe you’ve talked with him or seen his image (is that a plant or a puppet?) in Money Confessions.

Recently we realized how much Gary uses Geezeo. How much? Well, let’s just say we’re wondering if he doesn’t secretly work here. We luv ya, Gary! So… who is Gary?

Gary, you’re one of Geezeo’s super-users — I think you’ve logged in more times than some of us who work here! How did you find Geezeo?

Whoa! Seriously?! I know I log-on often but that often? If I had a nickel for every time I logged on are you saying I’d be a hundredaire?! What can I say, I was raised by a great mom that worked as a book keeper for years and I’m an instructional technologist which means I’m online all the time. So… Yea… That might explain it.

I have ‘The Consumerist’ to thank. I think it was this post in fact: link. To be perfectly frank, the reason why I tried Geezeo is because of the integrated API for GMail account log-on. Chalk that one up to sheer laziness. I wasn’t looking for another social network but wanted to check out one of the two sites linked.

What keeps you coming back?

Updates. Why does someone visit the same pages everyday? Updates! Nearly every and any purchase made by me or my wife is put on a credit card, so I want to ensure that every transaction is correct. Happily I’ve only found less than a handful of incorrect charges since I began using a credit card. Another thing, it’s much easier to verify that each charge is correct if I see it posted after a day or two instead of after 20 days or more.

What are your favorite feature(s)? How do they help you manage your money?

In their simplicity, I find the ‘My Accounts’ and ‘My Funds’ sections to be extremely helpful. In the past it was easy to keep tabs on my finances because it was all mine and I kept an eye on my all accounts. Things are not that straight forward anymore. Marriage changed things a bit so I had to learn a new way of managing those pesky monthly bills.

‘My Funds’ has helped me to aim for a $0 balance in my Total Debt! Ha ha ha. Laugh all you like but there is something to say about seeing a $0 balance next to the word debt even if only for one day. It’s a great pick me up. While I don’t get excited to ‘pay the bills’ it is fantastic to see a big ‘ol zero the next day in the debt column. It’s the little things that make me smile.

What Geezeo Groups or Goals do you participate in?

I’m in a few Groups and have set up a few goals. Here’s the brief:

* Geezeo Live Chat
* Geezeo Feature Requests
* Money Magazine looking for users to share experience
* Pay Down That Mortgage
* Penny pinching to early retirement!
* Credit Card Rewards
* Greentrees

The Group conversations haven’t been all I’d hoped but I did have the chance to discuss some original money saving ideas. The community has proven it has a phenomenal voice in the Confession room though. Wow!

I’m only beginning to play with Goals. Why? The primary focus for the past 6+ months has been the last of the three goals noted below. As of this month (January) that goal is complete! It felt to good to confess it and then see ‘complete’ next to the goal on the Dashboard.

* 3-month Cushion
* Build Savings Account
* Pay off PMI

Have you always been interested in personal finance?

In a way. As I mentioned earlier my mom was a book keeper and taught me a thing or two. A friend turned me onto Roth IRAs in my mid-twenties. While living in Japan, in ‘98, I was introduced to electronic banking via an ATM. It boggled my mind why the same features weren’t available in the US. Bank to bank transfers at the ATM… Bill payments at convenience stores? It seemed so easy. Oh wait, it was that easy. I didn’t understand why it wasn’t the same way in the USA.

Upon my return to the USA, People’s United Bank (then People’s Bank) introduced me to online money management in the US. Since that day I’ve done everything possible to consolidate my personal finances. Today 95+% of my transactions take place with a credit card. At the end of the year I can see quickly where money was spent thanks to year end summaries. They are amazing but have proven to be most beneficial, to me, when the vast majority of transactions are not cash based.

Where do you live? Do you have a family or any pets?

I live in Bronxville, NY (about 30 min from mid-town Manhattan by train) in a co-op with my wife, Ali, and our two kittens (Cthulhu and Magneto). Come this May I will graduate with my MFA degree in Theatre (acting) and Ali will graduate in May 2009 with her MFA degree in Writing (fiction); yea, we’re both on the busy side of the coin with work and school.

How are we both working and working on our MFAs? Thank goodness for academic benefits! A tip to those interested in getting a degree and are willing to take it a bit at a time… Work for a college/university.

What would be the coolest thing we should build to help you even more?

Since day one on Geezeo I’ve been craving for a secure RSS feed of transactions. Oh joy of joys.

Any objection if we call our next feature the “Gary Ploski [feature] “?

Objection?! I’d be honored! Ha ha ha. The G’Pheed. Geezeo and lil ol me. =D Seriously though, it’s been a blast working with the crew at Geezeo and I have recommended to friends and co-workers. If you something was named after me I’d have to add it to one of the coolest things to happen to me on the Internet. And I’ve been on the interweb since 1997.

Thanks, Gary! It was great to get to know you better. Thanks for being a “Super User” — watch for that next feature roll-out.

If you’d like to learn more about Gary, you can visit him at his blog. If you’d like to ratchet up your log in numbers to reach “Super User” status, register or login. See you inside!

It may have been because emma and I have been speaking about the future a tad lately and the thought stuck somehow. Within a few minutes I heard my idea fill the darkened bedroom. I hadn’t fallen asleep and succumbed to to sleep talking. No, no, no. My voice was silent but my brain juices flowed on.

The ritual was put on the side burner and I had enjoyed a short laugh chuckle within my skull. Family. Why had I thought - I have a family of my own now - emma, Cthulhu, and Magneto. They’re not able to communicate and I don’t feel for them in any way like any other family member but they are a part of the fam. Baffling.

Sure, sure it’s simple to most people that have had animals in their lives but for me they are the first two animals I helped raise. It’s been over 1.5 years that they’ve lived here with us. At night, they sleep by my side, leaning against a foot or a leg. It’s, well, it’s wonderful.

It will be a number of years before another human is a part of the 11o1 crew so I’m going to enjoy the family as it is. </sentimental>

On a different family related note - BT relayed some boom to the moon news about Remembering Hypatia earlier this eve. Omedeto tomodachi. Omdedeto! I can’t wait to see what the papers have to say in 24 hours. Hoo-ha! HFCIT!

On Sunday we hosted the annual gathering. Originally the idea was to have the shindig catered so everyone could relax and enjoy the time together. Well, the places under consideration happened to be closed this week. Great timing. Next year… The gathering will have to take place after the new year.

It’s never truly possible to know how an event goes because there are so many things happening. The food, though, I can speak to with personal certainty. It was great. Sure, I’m biased seeing as I was a part of the cooking duo, but themz the breaks. Stuffed mushrooms, sweet potato fries, 3 types of chips with salsa and guacamole, gnochi in sauce and pesto, a simple salad with walnuts and apple slices, green beens and mushrooms, lemonade, cider, hot chocolate and coffee, and lastly, white chocolate fondue with strawberries, angel food cake, almond biscottis, and raspberries.

It was incredible good with a scrumptious yum in between. Incredibly tiring but fulfilling. emma was the head chef for the entrées/main course and I was the dessert chef. I hope those in attendance enjoyed the festivities (company, secret fomorii (santa), food, etc.) It’s a year away but I’m looking forward to next year’s event already. =)

Regarding the 1. Well, this part of the post is meant to be a note for the future. Oh, and to be amazed by it in the now too. Sheesh.

Last night I uncovered plucked pulled an ingrown hair from the right side of my facce (lower jaw line). Now this isn’t interesting at all. Ingrown hair? Happens all the time. Blah, blah, blah. Remember that image at the top of the post? The ruler. Yup. The hair was more than one inch long. I don’t kid. Kid? No. I don’t. No kidding. Kidding = Um, no. Uber no kidding. Non. Zip. Zilch. >1 inch. How that is possible? I’ll leave to hair specialists.

Frelling odd. At least it’s gone. Just like 2007. The main difference though, 2007 kicked 455 (it’s in leet sp33k - look it up), the hair, um, didn’t.