strategist

to breitbart; definition: to treat others like dogshit (New American English)

New American English; origin: Washington DC, entered public lexicon in July 2010. to breitbart someone, to screw over someone royally, to treat someone with so much contempt that Jesus Christ is shaking his head, to set up a false statement and then, attack the person; to breitbart, to believe yourself to be God; opposites: to treat someone with respect, to be a true Christian.

Political theory: people who adhere to the Breitbart Doctrine believe helping others regardless of their religious beliefs and the colour of their skin as un-Christianlike; Breitbart followers and disciples love screaming at true Christians

Economic theory: steal from the poor and give to the rich.

Remedy to cure oneself of Breitbartitis: read the Bible; give to charity; read books; travel to other countries and meet people; attend religious services in order to understand other religions especially if the person suffering from Breitbartitis has never attended church.

Respected Colleague Leaving Company

Yet another high-performing colleague has announced (in private) that he is leaving our company. No matter how many times I get informed of a colleague's impending departure, I am saddened and upset. Saddened that a trusted colleague is leaving and upset that the company chooses not to do more to keep him around.

In this day and age, high-tech growth companies must do whatever is in their powers to retain employees. Each year in the high-tech world is equivalent to seven years of learning. So, after 2.5 years with our company, another one is leaving with more than 14+years of earned knowledge. Sad. If high-tech companies continue to let employees leave without even putting up a fight, they will find out the hard way that 'creative destruction' works fast and furious.

Going Way Party for Takashi Katsuragi

                           

Katsuragi-San (with the funny head-piece),

Thanks for all the laughs over the past seven years. You'll be missed greatly. And most of all, good luck in your company; our loss, their gain.

Until next time,

Strategist

Former Colleague Heading Home

Went out for a few beers last night with a former colleague, Eric P, who told me that he and his wife are heading back to Canada. I am sad to lose another buddy to Canada but I really envy him. He is moving back in the spring. So, I guess I have at least 1-2 more times to go out drinking before they leave.

Oldest & Dearest Friend Heads Back to Canada

I received a pleasant surprise in the mail today: My oldest friend in Japan moved back to Canada along with his wife and two children. I met Shannon when I was living in Osaka. By coincidence we were drinking at the same way too much alcohol at the same party and wouldn't you know it: we are both from Saskatchewan. Kindred spirits. Lost in Osaka. Lost in Japan. We became very good friends. You can actually see many of Shannon's photos in one of my photo albums.

Good luck back home!

401 Keg Plan

Yet another great funny from my buddy the engineer.

If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49; With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1,000; With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left.

But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of Beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have $214. Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. 

It's called the 401-Keg Plan.

[Note: What is really funny about the joke is that I was an investor in both Nortel and WorldCom. Hell, I am still waiting for the A--holes from the former-WorldCom to settle the civil lawsuits and fork over some cash to me. Shit, I'll use the 50 cents I get back from the crooks and buy me some bubble gum! After chewing a couple of sticks, I toss it into their hair. F'ing jerks.]

Lunch today with Pasta Boy

Met a former colleague of mine for lunch this afternoon in Shinjuku. My nickname for him is 'Pasta Boy' - he's Italian. Maybe I should call him 'Mafia Boy' instead. Maybe not - he might get someone to 'bump me off'!!! Well, he finally made the break from our former workplace. He is moving up in the world: HR specialist. I wish him all the best in his new job and know he will excel at it. He is a great 'people guy' and has lots of experience dealing with expatriates working in Japan.

Nakanishi's New Wristwatch

A happy owner of a new wristwatch shows off his new piece of business wardrobe.

My Pregnant Pal - the Nutty Canuck

Just had a wonderful time talking to an old pal who just happens to be pregnant now. (I wonder how that happened!) She is in her sixth month and is not enjoying her morning sickness very much. Actually, she does not like the term 'morning sickness' - to her, it is 24x7 sickness. Yech!

You have got to respect a woman for going through many mornings of sickness, many times with their head stuck in a toilet bowl and many restless nights as their bodies adjust to a growing life inside them. (Kick! Kick! Hey! I need food! - the baby inside demanding attention and food.)

I know my pal will be a great mom - she has so much humor and her husband is a wonderful guy. I know they are going to spoil their child rotten. I hope my wife and I can start our own baby-making factory and our kids to grow up together. It'll be nice to see our kids playing together.

Oh, back to the topic of pregnancy. I think the government should pay huge sums of money to women for haivng babies. Not only are women postponing their working careers, they are helping to keep our world alive. If I were the Prime Minister of Canada, I would pay women a monthly salary to have their babies. While the amount may pale in comparison to their regular jobs, any amount of money can go a long way. Wouldn't it be nice if the government could pay women about $15,000 per pregancy? Shouldn't the government spend money on rewarding people for having children instead of feeding money to that money-grubbing monster called 'the military industrial complex'???

Getting back to my pregnant Canuck friend, I sure hope she does not let the child become an extreme right winger, aka 'The Conservative Party of Canada'. It is a shame what has happened to the old political party of 'Dief the Chief'. I guess deep down I am unhappy with what Peter MacKay has done to the PC Party. While I count myself as a person who falls more on the right of the political spectrum, I do not want them to take over the country. As long as the extreme right wing wants to change the face of Canuckland, I will put my support behind the Liberal Party. At least with Paul Martin, you know where he is coming from. The Grits may be incompetent but you can understand them quite easily. As for the Right Wing of Canada, they will only lead Canada down the same path the religious right wing of the Republican Party is taking the USA: Christian Crusades and global domination of the masses. I will not allow any government or political party to hijack my religion.

Joke from Female Canuck

A friend sent this wonderful joke to me. Just had to post it here. (I hope I don't offend too many people out there...)

A business man got on an elevator. When he entered, there was a blonde already inside who greeted him with a bright, "T-G-I-F."

He smiled at her and replied, "S-H-I-T."

She looked puzzled and repeated,"T-G-I-F," more slowly.

He again answered, S-H-I-T."

The blonde was trying to keep it friendly, so she smiled her biggest smile and said as sweetly as possibly, "T-G-I-F."

The man smiled back to her and once again, "S-H-I-T."

The exasperated blonde finally decided to explain. "'T-G-I-F' means Thank Goodness It's Friday. Get it, duuhhh?"

The man answered, "'S-H-I-T' means 'Sorry, Honey, It's Thursday.'"

[comments: Should I take this joke down off my blog? Should I worry so much about how other people feel about what is written on this blog? Am I becoming overly sensitive??? Perhaps, I should use the 'Will-it-bother-my-mother-test?' on whether this joke should remain up here.]

Birthday Bash Partygoers

Some very happy people tonight!

Christmas Gathering with Friends

Met up with some old friends last night in Shinjuku and had a 'blast'! It was so nice to see all of them again. Hope to see all of the 'old gang' again soon.

Baby Photos of Aily-chan Atwood

What a wonderful surprise! A former colleague, Jim Atwood, sent me a link to a photo gallery he set up for his beautiful new baby. Gosh, you have got to love the internet when you can share baby photos with friends. Very cool! I am sure that Aily-chan will grow very tall just like her papa. (Aily-chan's photo gallery)