Saturday, July 9, 2011

Jeren's Man Report Card

I recently was advised to read this list of things that a man should never have. After some thought I decided to grade my experience involving each of these don'ts.

No Man Should Ever Have...
1. A black eye - A; I've never had a black eye in my life, but that's not to say I'm a wuss by any means.
2. A witty email signature - A; I list my name, credentials, and contact information like a true pro.
3. An empty refrigerator - B; While it isn't my refrigerator I still have several things of my own in it.
4. PlayStation Thumb - A-; I'm not an avid gamer, but on occasion I'll throw down some boom-shakalas in some NBA Jam.

6. A lucky shirt - A; Don't have one, I do have shirts I like to wear though.
7. An unstamped passport - F; Unfortunately I fail miserably on this one, I've never been outside of the United States.
8. Olympic dreams - A; I gave up on those a long time ago.
9. Less than $20 in his wallet - C; Before reading this list I rarely had cash on me, but it being such a good idea I now always carry at least $10.


12. The need to quote various movies - C-; I am guilty of this frequent lack of judgement. But if it means anything I do come up with some incredible one-liners of my own (see: The Cannys).
13. A futon - A; No problem here, I'm too old to have or sleep on one anymore.
14. Code words for women - A; Again this is just weak, I'm not ever going to find a girlfriend if I use these kind of names.
15. A Nerf hoop in his living room - A-; It specifically says "Nerf hoop," it doesn't say anything about a Nerf Rapid Fire gun.
16. A secret handshake - A; Gave these things up when I graduated from high school.
17. Drinking glasses with logos - F; Again guilty, but this is only because I don't have any of my own glasses yet.
18. A recent story with the phrase "So I said to the cop..." - A; No problem here, I'm a law abiding citizen.

Jeren's Man Report Card:
A's: 12 (10 A & 2 A-)
B's: 2 (2 B)
C's: 2 (1 C & 1 C-)
D's: 0
F's: 2

Jeren's Man GPA: 3.167; Not bad a solid B, but I'm going to need to work on this I need at least an B+ average to be a respectable man

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

In a reflective mood...

Well, you've caught me in the ultimate reflective mood. The past few months of my life have been filled with extreme highs and lows the likes of which may never be topped in my lifetime. It will be very interesting to see what the rest of this year will bring me.

To start off with in mid-November a new niece was added to the family. My brother, Jay, and his wife, Joyce, welcomed Brynlee Jay Canning to the family and she has been nothing but pure fun to be around. Filled with the piss and vinegar that we Cannings are notoriously known for, this little girl has stolen my heart.

The new year brought some new challenges as Qwest was formally bought out by CenturyTel and the company has wasted no time in shaking up the organization. The director of my division was moved to another position and fresh blood was brought in to try and revitalize the Operator and Information Services department. This is really nothing but good news for me as I sit as one of the, if not the, most educated individuals in the department and have been stonewalled for years.

This year also brought some tragedy into my life as my grandmother died. Florence Uwarda Trimble Canning died in late February from a stroke. While it was hard to deal with the loss of Grandma, it is comforting to know that she is now in a better place, with many of the people she loves. I have to say it was hard seeing my Grandma, a woman so strong and so active for so many years basically wither away to nothing in a matter of months.

On a much lighter note I heard some great news when my beloved Utah Utes hired Norm Chow as the team's new Offensive Coordinator. About two months before the hire was officially made, I was sitting around with my friends and said that the team will hire Chow. This was long before the rumors started to surface, low and behold look what happened.

Then something incredible happened. Maybe incredible is too strong of a word but I am very proud of my accomplishment. Just two weeks ago I completed work on my Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. After a year-and-a-half of classes, countless papers, and some new friends I earned the degree much to the praise of my friends and family.

As you can see this has been quite a ride, and I can only hope that it will continue.