I hate politics, and party politics in particular. I didn't know I hated it until I went to Boys State and was elected Supreme Court Justice (seminars were boring as hell, but in the evening it was nothing but pizza, poker, and carousing with the college girls on NAU's campus during the summer), but I learned quickly that I hate politics. But I do strongly believe in voting, so I do.
Anywho, as some of you may know, Jenna Jameson put up a strip club in a suburb of Phoenix. The city didn't really want the business or the notoriety so they tried to ban strip clubs. That didn't go so well, so they decided that they would just ban lap dances instead. Jameson, her entourage, and the scads of lap dance fans that attend ASU said they didn't like that idea, either, and they were willing to collect signatures and take it to the polls. And that they did. Today, Scottsdale voters are determining whether or not they want lap dances to remain legal.
If you'd like to read about Prop 401, aka Boobgate, click here.
While I do hate politics, this whole vote has me thinking...
- Is it really fair, or even legal, to have Jenna Jameson's name tied to any ballot issue? There are some guys that, if they know a porn star's breasts are backing an issue, they're going to vote for it. It wouldn't matter if the issue was mandating government-assisted suicide for all firstborn males at the age of 25, they'd still vote for it. We'll call this the Jameson Bias.
- Will the Jameson Bias end up attracting more total votes than the Govenor's primary race in the same city? Or, more appropriately, will a higher percentage of registered voters turn out to vote in Scottsdale because of the Jameson Bias (both for and against the issue, as there are some voters/people that are against the bill simply because a porn star's breasts are backing the issue)?
- Many folks are suddenly in outrage over lap dances. Why now? Did you not know about lap dances before? Had you forgotten that you're against them until Jenna Jameson's arrival in your back yard stirred your memory? Did Jenna turn you down for a lap dance? Are you jealous of her breasts?
- One of the common arguments against the business I've heard is that lap dances are degrading to women. This, to me, is a little bit (maybe a lot) ignorant. My first thought is, "How do you know it's degrading to women?" The answers to that question aside, other quesitons come up. Who do you feel it's degrading and why? Is it degrading to you? My mom? Your mom? Our female governor? My multiple lady co-workers? And if it is degrading to all those folks, does your vote represent them or you?
Is it degrading because it violates your religious beliefs? Because you feel that such activities are violations against the beauty of the female body and should therefore be outlawed? Does another woman choosing (omg, does it offend you that she might actually *want* to do this?) to earn her living via moving her body make you feel like less of a person? Are you degraded because that woman is making more money with her body than you are with your mind?
If a woman moving her body next to a man is degrading, is it also degrading when a woman wants to work construction or an assembly line? Or is it only degrading if her shirt is off while she's working?
I realize that the issue is a little deeper than whether or not we have a problem with women making money by shakin' a little T&A, and I think some of the points against the lap dances are particularly valid and poingnant. But what I also think is that we have a situation where "a person is smart, but people are stupid," and on this particular issue we've got a city of idiots full of sound and fury telling their meaningless and largely ignorant tales, signifying nothing. I only hope that voters, whatever they decide, take a moment to actually ponder the issue, why they think the way they do, and make a rational, educated decision. That's all I ask. Is that too much?
When T&A are involved, you're damn right that's too much to ask. Rightly or wrongly, the Jameson Bias trumps reason any day of the week.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Rivals
Some people are rasied to root for specific teams. It's part of who they are and runs in their blood. For me, that's Ohio State and Peoria High School. No matter how thuggish the teams are, I have to root for them.
While some folks are die hard fans of teams, not nearly as many folk are lifelong enemies of their teams' rivals. But me...I am. Oohhhh, yes, I am. There are three teams that should never win a game. Nothing good comes from them, and all demons various other forms of evil eminate from them. These teams are the University of Michigan, the Baltimore Ravens (F you, Art Model! There are still people waiting to kill you back in Cleveland!), and the Cactus Cobras. Yes, that's right. I still hate my old high school's rival team. We don't even play them regularly any more because the district has intentionaly kept Cactus' population lower so that they can continue to dominate a lower division of sports rather than play with the big boys. Bitches. It wouldn't be so bad if their football coach weren't such an idiot, but he is. And this bothers me. In his 20 years of coaching, he's gone to the state championship at least 5 times, maybe more. It wasn't until last year that he finally won one. He FINALLY learned the error of his ways in 2004.
Cactus was playing Moon Valley in the finals and was romping. An absolute ass-whoopin', 35-0 at half. They then proceeded to lose 42-35. I laughed my ass off when I read the headlines. Same ol', same ol', Coach Fetkenheier. Bear in mind, this is also the same idiot that thought it was a good idea to go for it on 4th and 8 on their own 12 yard line when playing us (we sacked'em on the play, then scored on our first play after the change of possession...stick that in your eye, bitches). The next year, his team finally finished the mission and won the whole thing. Why? Because he realized that you use your best athletes on DEFENSE, not as wide receivers. The offense will get you to the big show, but the defense will win it for you. That's a twenty year lesson learned. Good job, coach!
I learned that one when I was seven.
The only reason this comes up is because I read in the paper today that Cactus was finally dethroned from the #1 ranking, getting thumped by another local school, and I could feel this sick, cheesy grin come over my face as I started to laugh. :-) I don't go to the games very often any more, but after following Peoria football for the past seventeen years, I still love seeing the old rival get it handed to them.
While some folks are die hard fans of teams, not nearly as many folk are lifelong enemies of their teams' rivals. But me...I am. Oohhhh, yes, I am. There are three teams that should never win a game. Nothing good comes from them, and all demons various other forms of evil eminate from them. These teams are the University of Michigan, the Baltimore Ravens (F you, Art Model! There are still people waiting to kill you back in Cleveland!), and the Cactus Cobras. Yes, that's right. I still hate my old high school's rival team. We don't even play them regularly any more because the district has intentionaly kept Cactus' population lower so that they can continue to dominate a lower division of sports rather than play with the big boys. Bitches. It wouldn't be so bad if their football coach weren't such an idiot, but he is. And this bothers me. In his 20 years of coaching, he's gone to the state championship at least 5 times, maybe more. It wasn't until last year that he finally won one. He FINALLY learned the error of his ways in 2004.
Cactus was playing Moon Valley in the finals and was romping. An absolute ass-whoopin', 35-0 at half. They then proceeded to lose 42-35. I laughed my ass off when I read the headlines. Same ol', same ol', Coach Fetkenheier. Bear in mind, this is also the same idiot that thought it was a good idea to go for it on 4th and 8 on their own 12 yard line when playing us (we sacked'em on the play, then scored on our first play after the change of possession...stick that in your eye, bitches). The next year, his team finally finished the mission and won the whole thing. Why? Because he realized that you use your best athletes on DEFENSE, not as wide receivers. The offense will get you to the big show, but the defense will win it for you. That's a twenty year lesson learned. Good job, coach!
I learned that one when I was seven.
The only reason this comes up is because I read in the paper today that Cactus was finally dethroned from the #1 ranking, getting thumped by another local school, and I could feel this sick, cheesy grin come over my face as I started to laugh. :-) I don't go to the games very often any more, but after following Peoria football for the past seventeen years, I still love seeing the old rival get it handed to them.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Don't try this at home
I'm only going to say this once. I will not repeat myself, so be sure to pay attention.
Homemade wings are bad.
To my knowledge I've tried homemade wings twice in my lifetime, neither sampling of which were made by me or my family. Both times yielded less than pleasant results. The first time I think I just wasn't used to the spices or something, but this time I know there was definitely something wrong. Both the moms and I have been ill all day. If you can imagine someone taking a large spoon, heating it until it's all red, jamming it in my chest and stirring it about...that's about what it feels like (or so I imagine).
I'm not making this mistake again. I don't care how long you say you've been making them or how good they are, you can keep your damn posion fowl to yourself.
Homemade wings are bad.
To my knowledge I've tried homemade wings twice in my lifetime, neither sampling of which were made by me or my family. Both times yielded less than pleasant results. The first time I think I just wasn't used to the spices or something, but this time I know there was definitely something wrong. Both the moms and I have been ill all day. If you can imagine someone taking a large spoon, heating it until it's all red, jamming it in my chest and stirring it about...that's about what it feels like (or so I imagine).
I'm not making this mistake again. I don't care how long you say you've been making them or how good they are, you can keep your damn posion fowl to yourself.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Hats
I never used to like hats. In fact, I couldn't stand them. I'd have never made it in little league because I always would have been out of uniform. In the summer before 7th grade, however, events transpired that would change my disdain to fondness. Arena football was coming to the valley in the form of the Arizona Rattlers and I was keenly interested, so I convinced my jr. high youth group leader to get season tickets so that I could go to *one* game (riiight...). The free gift with the season tickets was a Rattlers hat and Roger gave it to me. When he took me to the game I didn't figure it would be right not to wear his gift, awkward as I thought it was, so I sucked it up and wore it. It was only for one night, right? Wellll...he told me that he thought the hat looked cool on me. So did Kelly, this cute blonde that was also in the group. That sealed the deal. Hat stayed.
From then on I've been a fan of hats, and they've been fans of me. Some of them have even become trademarks - people found me in crowds by my hats. Ranging from normal baseball caps to mombosoks to snowboarding hats to golf caps and fedoras, they've been a part of my life. One of my favorites is my old grey golf cap...I liked it so much it even went on formal dates and appeared in my senior pictures...
I continue to wear hats not just because I like them, but because my father has an ongoing bout with skin cancer. A small patch of cancer keeps popping up on his head in the same spot, and other, smaller patches appear all around his skull. The last trip to the dermatologist yielded 19 sores. The docs tell him that part of the reason is because he didn't protect his head when we first moved out here (he's completely bald on top) with sunscreen or a hat. That's not gonna happen to me (at least not for that reason).
In any case, my trademark hat right now is a black pseudo-fedora by Volcom. At work people make comments about it literally every day I wear it, ranging from, "That hat really looks classy...I wish more people would wear hats like that, " to, "You were born to wear that hat," to "MmMmMm...I love it when you wear that hat." People may not know my name, but I guarantee that if you refer to me as "the guy that wears that black hat," people will know who you're talking about.
If people identify me by my hat, that's fine. In fact, I think it's kinda neat. I just hope that I'm remembered by something other than my headwear.
From then on I've been a fan of hats, and they've been fans of me. Some of them have even become trademarks - people found me in crowds by my hats. Ranging from normal baseball caps to mombosoks to snowboarding hats to golf caps and fedoras, they've been a part of my life. One of my favorites is my old grey golf cap...I liked it so much it even went on formal dates and appeared in my senior pictures...
I continue to wear hats not just because I like them, but because my father has an ongoing bout with skin cancer. A small patch of cancer keeps popping up on his head in the same spot, and other, smaller patches appear all around his skull. The last trip to the dermatologist yielded 19 sores. The docs tell him that part of the reason is because he didn't protect his head when we first moved out here (he's completely bald on top) with sunscreen or a hat. That's not gonna happen to me (at least not for that reason).
In any case, my trademark hat right now is a black pseudo-fedora by Volcom. At work people make comments about it literally every day I wear it, ranging from, "That hat really looks classy...I wish more people would wear hats like that, " to, "You were born to wear that hat," to "MmMmMm...I love it when you wear that hat." People may not know my name, but I guarantee that if you refer to me as "the guy that wears that black hat," people will know who you're talking about.
If people identify me by my hat, that's fine. In fact, I think it's kinda neat. I just hope that I'm remembered by something other than my headwear.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Are you ready...
...for some football????
Hellz yeah!!!
...for the holidays????
Ugh, no. Not at all. But they'll be here in the blink of an eye whether I want them to or not (and I don't). If there's any ray of hope in all that, at least we're getting closer to Valentines Day now rather than farther away from it. Gotta have something to look forward to, y'know?
Hellz yeah!!!
...for the holidays????
Ugh, no. Not at all. But they'll be here in the blink of an eye whether I want them to or not (and I don't). If there's any ray of hope in all that, at least we're getting closer to Valentines Day now rather than farther away from it. Gotta have something to look forward to, y'know?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Best Birthday Moments
My birthday's commin' up...another year older (I've been gettin' older since the day I was born, but I'll be damned if I'm gettin' old...f that). Typically my birthdays have been rather unmemorable - not necessarily bad, just nothing noteworthy. In fact, more often than not I completely forget about my birthday until suddenly there's a balloon at my desk or package at the door. "What's this for.....oh, yeah!" There have been a few good ones, though...
- 13. I actually had two parties for this one, one good surprise birthday party (they actually kept it hidden from me!) with all kinds of folks there, and one afterwards where just a few of the guys and I went to watch Peoria kick Cactus' ass 55-33 (yes, I still remember the score) then came back to my place and played our own brand of back yard football until we couldn't move any more. This was the last real hurrah that most of us remember Stuart at before his life tragically ended, and it's my understanding that this party was a topic of conversation at our ten-year reunion recently.
- 18. Friends from at least 5 high schools were present after the Peoria/Cactus game (which we won yet again) at a 5th Quarter-type party. There wasn't a hint of drunkenness, but all had a great time. Best cake fight EVER (I lost pretty bad, but who am I to say that a girl can't rub up all over me with icing in her hand?).
- 21. This had none of your drunken debauchery typical of 21st birthday celebrations. Instead, I was in Marine Corps basic training. I got a care package with twinkies from my mom and a card from my sister in the mail on my actual birthday. The odds of those arriving on that exact day together while I was out in the field are pretty not good, yet it happened. I shared the twinkies w/my platoon, of course. One of them is quoted as saying, "OMG, this is the best twinkie I've ever had!" Well, hell, it's the only thing even resembling sugary goodness you've had in about ten weeks which might have something to do with it!
- A little less than two months before 27. A bunch of friends (a couple of you were even there) of mine bought me a lot of drinks the night before GenCon started in Indianapolis. The evening started at Champions sports bar and eventually migrated over to Ram. One conversation went something like this:
Friend - Happy early birthday! Here, have a drink!
Me - What is it?
Friend - Just drink it?
Me - Ok (spoken to self: "Oh, this is gonna mess me up, isn't it?").
It didn't get better from there. The evening involved some combination of whiskeys, gins, margaritas, and beers, and ended with me not being able to feel my fingertips and dropping chips in my lap, laughing the whole time. Sonny had to be my guide back to the hotel where we were staying because I had no idea where we were other than it began with an I. I had a blast this night, and it remains the most fun I've ever had at a convention. I don't know that the same group of friends will ever be together again at the same time.
- 13. I actually had two parties for this one, one good surprise birthday party (they actually kept it hidden from me!) with all kinds of folks there, and one afterwards where just a few of the guys and I went to watch Peoria kick Cactus' ass 55-33 (yes, I still remember the score) then came back to my place and played our own brand of back yard football until we couldn't move any more. This was the last real hurrah that most of us remember Stuart at before his life tragically ended, and it's my understanding that this party was a topic of conversation at our ten-year reunion recently.
- 18. Friends from at least 5 high schools were present after the Peoria/Cactus game (which we won yet again) at a 5th Quarter-type party. There wasn't a hint of drunkenness, but all had a great time. Best cake fight EVER (I lost pretty bad, but who am I to say that a girl can't rub up all over me with icing in her hand?).
- 21. This had none of your drunken debauchery typical of 21st birthday celebrations. Instead, I was in Marine Corps basic training. I got a care package with twinkies from my mom and a card from my sister in the mail on my actual birthday. The odds of those arriving on that exact day together while I was out in the field are pretty not good, yet it happened. I shared the twinkies w/my platoon, of course. One of them is quoted as saying, "OMG, this is the best twinkie I've ever had!" Well, hell, it's the only thing even resembling sugary goodness you've had in about ten weeks which might have something to do with it!
- A little less than two months before 27. A bunch of friends (a couple of you were even there) of mine bought me a lot of drinks the night before GenCon started in Indianapolis. The evening started at Champions sports bar and eventually migrated over to Ram. One conversation went something like this:
Friend - Happy early birthday! Here, have a drink!
Me - What is it?
Friend - Just drink it?
Me - Ok (spoken to self: "Oh, this is gonna mess me up, isn't it?").
It didn't get better from there. The evening involved some combination of whiskeys, gins, margaritas, and beers, and ended with me not being able to feel my fingertips and dropping chips in my lap, laughing the whole time. Sonny had to be my guide back to the hotel where we were staying because I had no idea where we were other than it began with an I. I had a blast this night, and it remains the most fun I've ever had at a convention. I don't know that the same group of friends will ever be together again at the same time.
Monday, August 28, 2006
A Wickedly wonderful evening
So I finally saw Wicked ths past Saturday, and a wonderful show it was!
The evening started at House of Tricks, a nice, unassuming restaurant near the theatre. If you wanna check it out, visit www.houseoftricks.com. It came highly recommended by a couple of friends of mine and some of the entrees are rather unusual twists on old stand-bys so I figured, sure, why not. Well, I'll tell you why - the service was atrocious, the environment wasn't all that comfortable (too hot, little air movement, holes in the ceiling), and the food wasn't good enough to make up for the price of the experience. The food was definitely good, though, in spite of some of the less-than-stellar cheeses. The brie was awful, and I think one of the other ones might have been goat cheese. It was rather disgusting so I didn't care what I was eating as long as I didn't have to have another bite, but the bites I did have were still entertaining at the very least as my date helped me to laugh at my own reactions to the taste. It's rather impossible for me to take things too seriously when she's around (she know at a glance when I'm too stressed or focused and somehow gets me to smile for which I'm grateful even if I say I'm not).
After dinner it was straight to the show. The parking at ASU isn't the greatest so we had to walk a little ways to get to the theatre but once we arrived things were just dandy. All the beautiful people came out in there duds for the show and we were no different - my girlfriend looked quite wonderful in her dress, her face sparkling in the lights as we walked through the lobby, looking very much the lady, and I even shined my shoes the night before! And truly, the show didn't disappoint. Glinda gave an incredible performance, as did Madamme Morrible and The Wizard, the ensemble sounded superb, and the set looked amazing! The only real downer was Fiyero - he looked the part and could sing alright, but his acting was only so-so and his dancing was painful to watch. This is a particularly bad principle to have as a poor dancer considering his big number is entitled "Dancing Through Life," and it wasn't even an understudy! Regardless, the show was quite entertaining.
Overall it was a great night. Good food, a great show for my girlfriend's first "Broadway" experience, and amazing company.
Now the next question is can I make it to "Chicago"...
The evening started at House of Tricks, a nice, unassuming restaurant near the theatre. If you wanna check it out, visit www.houseoftricks.com. It came highly recommended by a couple of friends of mine and some of the entrees are rather unusual twists on old stand-bys so I figured, sure, why not. Well, I'll tell you why - the service was atrocious, the environment wasn't all that comfortable (too hot, little air movement, holes in the ceiling), and the food wasn't good enough to make up for the price of the experience. The food was definitely good, though, in spite of some of the less-than-stellar cheeses. The brie was awful, and I think one of the other ones might have been goat cheese. It was rather disgusting so I didn't care what I was eating as long as I didn't have to have another bite, but the bites I did have were still entertaining at the very least as my date helped me to laugh at my own reactions to the taste. It's rather impossible for me to take things too seriously when she's around (she know at a glance when I'm too stressed or focused and somehow gets me to smile for which I'm grateful even if I say I'm not).
After dinner it was straight to the show. The parking at ASU isn't the greatest so we had to walk a little ways to get to the theatre but once we arrived things were just dandy. All the beautiful people came out in there duds for the show and we were no different - my girlfriend looked quite wonderful in her dress, her face sparkling in the lights as we walked through the lobby, looking very much the lady, and I even shined my shoes the night before! And truly, the show didn't disappoint. Glinda gave an incredible performance, as did Madamme Morrible and The Wizard, the ensemble sounded superb, and the set looked amazing! The only real downer was Fiyero - he looked the part and could sing alright, but his acting was only so-so and his dancing was painful to watch. This is a particularly bad principle to have as a poor dancer considering his big number is entitled "Dancing Through Life," and it wasn't even an understudy! Regardless, the show was quite entertaining.
Overall it was a great night. Good food, a great show for my girlfriend's first "Broadway" experience, and amazing company.
Now the next question is can I make it to "Chicago"...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Geniuses
My boss had this quotation on his calendar the other day:
Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.
-Malcolm Cowley
I pondered this for a while and came to the conclusion that I pretty much agree. Many people are intellectual or smart or intelligent because they've worked at acquiring knowledge and have applied it successfully. But geniuses...they don't work at it so much, it's just who they are. That's not to say that they don't work hard or acquire vast amounts of knowledge or lack intellectual prowess - to the contrary, many geniuses tend to display such tendencies. I simply contend that geniuses don't have to work at being a genius - it just flows from them.
I've been fortunate to have been around a pretty fair amount of folks I would consider to be geniuses. My jr. high special ed teacher was a brilliant educator and I learned every bit I could from her. I think Hayden is one. He might bitch a lot, but he bitches brilliantly. My ol' nemesis Colleen is probably one, and is growing more genius as she travels through life. My buddy James was the best game-player I ever knew and there's no doubt in my mind that if he was alive today he not only would have multiple national/world championship titles for various fantasy sports leagues and TCGs but would also have probably been hired as either a game designer or contract consultant to review new games.
I think most people are capable of moments of genius but only a few folks are blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with living a life of genius.
Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.
-Malcolm Cowley
I pondered this for a while and came to the conclusion that I pretty much agree. Many people are intellectual or smart or intelligent because they've worked at acquiring knowledge and have applied it successfully. But geniuses...they don't work at it so much, it's just who they are. That's not to say that they don't work hard or acquire vast amounts of knowledge or lack intellectual prowess - to the contrary, many geniuses tend to display such tendencies. I simply contend that geniuses don't have to work at being a genius - it just flows from them.
I've been fortunate to have been around a pretty fair amount of folks I would consider to be geniuses. My jr. high special ed teacher was a brilliant educator and I learned every bit I could from her. I think Hayden is one. He might bitch a lot, but he bitches brilliantly. My ol' nemesis Colleen is probably one, and is growing more genius as she travels through life. My buddy James was the best game-player I ever knew and there's no doubt in my mind that if he was alive today he not only would have multiple national/world championship titles for various fantasy sports leagues and TCGs but would also have probably been hired as either a game designer or contract consultant to review new games.
I think most people are capable of moments of genius but only a few folks are blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with living a life of genius.
Boof? Really?
How can you not be a fan of a pitcher named Boof? Nope, that's not his nickname. That's his real name. Boof.
26 Boof Bonser, SP
I don't think he's foreign which makes me wonder, how does a mother come to name her son Boof? My dad wanted to name me BF (for real! Just the letters BF for my first name, not initials) so that I would be BF Goodrich. Mom about broke his fingers at the thought and that ended that.
26 Boof Bonser, SP| Height/Weight: 6-4/260 Birthdate: 10/14/1981 Birthplace: St. Petersburg, FL Bats/Throws: R/R |
I don't think he's foreign which makes me wonder, how does a mother come to name her son Boof? My dad wanted to name me BF (for real! Just the letters BF for my first name, not initials) so that I would be BF Goodrich. Mom about broke his fingers at the thought and that ended that.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
What the hell are you lookin' at THAT for?
I was talking to someone the other day about Superman and my jaw dropped when a certain question came up. I'll paraphrase the conversaion below (names have been changed to protect the guilty):
Me - It's alright, I'm like Superman, made of steel!
Johnson - Yeah, okay.
Me - Ha ha.
Johnson - So does Superman wear a cup?
Me - Um, wut?
Johnson - Well, I mean he's got the perfect package [note - lest there be any confusion, this is refering to the way Superman's penis is shaped in his tights, not Superman's recent UPS shipment of pez dispensers].
Me - What the HELL are you looking at THAT for?
Johnson - Well, he does! It's like perfectly proportional to his body! Nobody has a penis like that without a cup.
Me - No, he doesn't wear a cup! Why the hell would he need a cup? He's made of STEEL!
Johnson - No, I'm sorry. I don't care, if he gets hit there he's gonna crumble like a bitch unless he's wearing a cup just like any other guy.
Me - Dude, no. You don't know what you're talking about. His only weakness is kryptonite, not kryptonite and his nuts.
Johnson - I'm tellin' you, it would at least hurt a little bit.
Me - Whatever. I don't wanna talk about this any more.
*sigh* Every time I think about this conversation it makes me sad. I was never really a huge fan of comic books but now I REALLY don't want to read them - I'm too afraid that I'll open one up to a page where Superman is punching some dude's lights out and instead of "POW!" it says "WANG!"
Me - It's alright, I'm like Superman, made of steel!
Johnson - Yeah, okay.
Me - Ha ha.
Johnson - So does Superman wear a cup?
Me - Um, wut?
Johnson - Well, I mean he's got the perfect package [note - lest there be any confusion, this is refering to the way Superman's penis is shaped in his tights, not Superman's recent UPS shipment of pez dispensers].
Me - What the HELL are you looking at THAT for?
Johnson - Well, he does! It's like perfectly proportional to his body! Nobody has a penis like that without a cup.
Me - No, he doesn't wear a cup! Why the hell would he need a cup? He's made of STEEL!
Johnson - No, I'm sorry. I don't care, if he gets hit there he's gonna crumble like a bitch unless he's wearing a cup just like any other guy.
Me - Dude, no. You don't know what you're talking about. His only weakness is kryptonite, not kryptonite and his nuts.
Johnson - I'm tellin' you, it would at least hurt a little bit.
Me - Whatever. I don't wanna talk about this any more.
*sigh* Every time I think about this conversation it makes me sad. I was never really a huge fan of comic books but now I REALLY don't want to read them - I'm too afraid that I'll open one up to a page where Superman is punching some dude's lights out and instead of "POW!" it says "WANG!"
Happy Birthday, Controller!!!
One year ago today this blog was born. Conceived from peer pressure, produced as an experiment, and nurtured by neurosis, I look back on this online journal and am amazed it lasted any longer than three months. When I was in school I always hated journaling but I'm thinking it was for three reasons: I didn't appreciate being told what to write about, I didn't like the fact that I didn't get to choose who saw this journal, and I didn't care for my teachers to numerically qualify my thoughts. Evidently my brain thinks this is different.
So, to celebrate, I've given my blog a spiffy new hit counter! Time to see how many different people actually love me (seven, maybe?). If you appreciate the blog, cool! I appreciate your looking. If you don't...well, give it an F. See if I care.
So, to celebrate, I've given my blog a spiffy new hit counter! Time to see how many different people actually love me (seven, maybe?). If you appreciate the blog, cool! I appreciate your looking. If you don't...well, give it an F. See if I care.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Heralding in a new era
The good news: A peer of mine is leaving the department right as a manager's position is included in our proposed budget. Assuming (and this is something of a precarious assumption) that the manager's position makes it through the budget and is approved, this makes me an early favorite for the promotion.
The bad news: This peer is also a dear friend of mine. She was my trainer when I first started out, then became my boss, a mentor, a friend, my ex-wive's boss, a sounding board, a professional resource, a co-conspirator, and general partner in crime. We can turn to each other to pop off about work or go have a beer or talk football or have dinner with the family or go see each other's drama productions or whatever. And she's leaving. She's been there through some of my most challenging moments in life and soon I'll no longer have her there.
It's a good move for her and her family and the promotion might be a good move for me, but I'm selfishly not sure that I'm willing to trade her for a promotion. Today and yesterday she's been pretty tear-filled as she's told myself and our boss. I'll probably return the favor when she finally leaves. Dammit.
The bad news: This peer is also a dear friend of mine. She was my trainer when I first started out, then became my boss, a mentor, a friend, my ex-wive's boss, a sounding board, a professional resource, a co-conspirator, and general partner in crime. We can turn to each other to pop off about work or go have a beer or talk football or have dinner with the family or go see each other's drama productions or whatever. And she's leaving. She's been there through some of my most challenging moments in life and soon I'll no longer have her there.
It's a good move for her and her family and the promotion might be a good move for me, but I'm selfishly not sure that I'm willing to trade her for a promotion. Today and yesterday she's been pretty tear-filled as she's told myself and our boss. I'll probably return the favor when she finally leaves. Dammit.
I'm a regular comedian
Yup, it's true. I'm funny because I have dessert after dinner (although sometimes I have it before hand...or before and after).
I'm just sayin...
I'm just sayin...
Monday, August 21, 2006
"I look like crap today..."
Nonsense.
That's what that line is. It's nonsense. Sure, maybe folks don't look their best when they say it, but who cares? Who are they really trying to impress?
I hear that line or some variation thereof more frequently than I care to admit. I hear it from friends, from family, from coworkers and peers, simple acquaintances...even people I meet at conventions. But man oh man, who are you trying to impress? Me? If you're a friend or loved one, why are you still trying to impress me? I'm something of an idiot when it comes to fashion so of all the folks to worry about impressing, I ought to be towards the bottom. And I promise I'm not going to run the other way if you're not looking your Sunday best. If you're a coworker or acquaintance, why do you really care what I think about how you look? And if you're at a convention...well, unless you're a competition cosplayer and you're making it a point to look a certain way, take a look around you - many of the folks there are...uh...not necessarily the most attractive to begin with.
But my point is this. I know we all like to look good - that's understandable - but I don't much care how you look, or how your house looks, or how your car looks. So relax. Be comfortable and kick back. You don't have to impress me, especially if you're a friend or family member or loved one. If you want to look good, do it because you just like to look good, or because you're on the prowl, or because you're on a date w/your loved one and you just want to be dressed up for the occasion. But not for others in general...who cares what they think.
(Yes, I know...most typically we are attracted to our girlfriends/significant others physically before anything else. And yes, it's nice for them to look nice and sometimes it's even cool to be all dolled up and such. But I've never been dating someone that I didn't think was attractive even when they were out of make-up and in grungy clothes (albeit clean) and their hair was all messed up. That's probably part of the reason I was attracted to them to begin with because something in me saw that I could see them like that and still think they were beautiful. And make-up is overrated anyway. So yes, this even applies to them.)
That's what that line is. It's nonsense. Sure, maybe folks don't look their best when they say it, but who cares? Who are they really trying to impress?
I hear that line or some variation thereof more frequently than I care to admit. I hear it from friends, from family, from coworkers and peers, simple acquaintances...even people I meet at conventions. But man oh man, who are you trying to impress? Me? If you're a friend or loved one, why are you still trying to impress me? I'm something of an idiot when it comes to fashion so of all the folks to worry about impressing, I ought to be towards the bottom. And I promise I'm not going to run the other way if you're not looking your Sunday best. If you're a coworker or acquaintance, why do you really care what I think about how you look? And if you're at a convention...well, unless you're a competition cosplayer and you're making it a point to look a certain way, take a look around you - many of the folks there are...uh...not necessarily the most attractive to begin with.
But my point is this. I know we all like to look good - that's understandable - but I don't much care how you look, or how your house looks, or how your car looks. So relax. Be comfortable and kick back. You don't have to impress me, especially if you're a friend or family member or loved one. If you want to look good, do it because you just like to look good, or because you're on the prowl, or because you're on a date w/your loved one and you just want to be dressed up for the occasion. But not for others in general...who cares what they think.
(Yes, I know...most typically we are attracted to our girlfriends/significant others physically before anything else. And yes, it's nice for them to look nice and sometimes it's even cool to be all dolled up and such. But I've never been dating someone that I didn't think was attractive even when they were out of make-up and in grungy clothes (albeit clean) and their hair was all messed up. That's probably part of the reason I was attracted to them to begin with because something in me saw that I could see them like that and still think they were beautiful. And make-up is overrated anyway. So yes, this even applies to them.)
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Kissing
I'm not comfortable watching other people kiss or otherwise share romantic moments. I'm not really sure why this is, but for as long as I can remember it's been this way. I noticed it once again when I was out watching a movie with my ladyfriend last night and caught myself looking at the ceiling while the folks on the screen were all kissy kissy with each other. It's not that I'm grossed out by it by any means - I'm actually a big fan of kisses and romance and all that happy nonsense, myself. But for some reason I just don't feel comfortable watching others in similar situations. Maybe it's because I feel like I'm interrupting a private moment. Maybe it's because I wish it was me in those moments and don't want to see such things happening to others and not me and I'm just flat out jealous (hey, some stuff that happens in the movies is pretty dang cool, even if it is fake). Maybe it's because I think they're doing it all wrong and am saddened by their lack of attention to detail.
Eh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just retarded.
Eh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just retarded.
One wish for Kiki
Your comments are always (I may live to regret that) welcome here, but for goodness sake, start your own blog!
Latneau, where are you!?!?!
Ollie ollie in free!!! If you're out there and reading this, just know that I hope you're well and happy.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Hospitality of the NYC
Many have commented that New York City is something of a fire-tempering furnace for humans - live there and it will make you hardened; live there long enough and you can live through anything. While I could see the evidence of such wear and tear on the faces of passers-by that littered the streets, my experience in the city was nowhere near as bitter as what I had imagined it might be.
This time we rolled into the city around 7:00 and arrived at Michael's place in Garden City (by way of Long Island) around 8AM. Mike was a riot to have on the trip with us but at this point the riot was over. He needed to turn around and get to work, and Greg and I were no less desperate for sleep. Garden City was immaculate and it was evident that the houses weren't exactly cheap. In any case this house provided a bit of well-deserved respite from the road for Greg and a waystation for me to change and freshen up a bit.
After a two hour power nap it was back to the crowded city streets again to meet Orlando and Saveena, aka Gyrick-XX and Rosette_Chrno from my Ragnarok guild. I've never met a guild in an online game that seemed as dedicated to one another in game as they do in real life, and this was simply more evidence of such devotion. We all have fun in game, but IRL we listen to each other, share with each other, laugh, and cry. Problems as serious as deaths in the family and struggles with governments are borne by one another; joys ranging from obtaining a drivers license (that is, if Muffin ever DID get her license...) to hearing children laughing in the background to watching anime and drinking Pepsi are shared as well. We met at Yummie's at 12th St and 3rd Ave....great peeps, great conversation, great food, and great times. Rose and G, thank you for meeting me there and sharing wth me, offering your lives in and out of game, and for the meal! I look forward to seeing you again sometime.
Another long ride back to the other side of town lands me here at JFK. I was concerned about getting through security so I repacked all my stuff. Ironically, this was the *fastest* security check-in I've ever had (five minutes front to back, done deal). It's been a beautiful day with low humidity and clear skies and the flight is scheduled to leave on time.
As we travelled through the city from destination to destination, it was great just to see the architecture and lifestyle of the people. I saw Shea Stadium, both major airports, the US Open place (freakin huge for a tennis court...are you kidding me?), the World's Fair Expo (many of you would know this by sight, recognizing it as where the two UFOs were at the end of Men in Black). Various bridges, street-side shops, subway stations, and the like. The city is not without it's problems. Rent is ridiculous, driving is a life-and-death proposal, homelessness is an issue...things like that. But, even with it's problems, NYC is a beautiful place. The people, while hardened, still seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even at 2AM people were outside taking jogs and walking their dogs with no fear in their eyes. There are more parks than anywhere I've ever seen, and there is plenty of activity in those parks. The people are resiliant, bouncing back from tragedies as severe as 9/11 to as minor as a car stalled in the middle of the road, but regardless of the size of the challenge the city simply knows how to regroup, adapt, and overcome on the fly. Nothing less than an NBC attack on the ENTIRE city could take it down, and even then I wonder if the city comes out on top.
I'm ready to come home. I've had fun and seen great friends, but there are some folks that I dearly miss and want to get back to. Before I do, though, one last shout out to Greg who's either on his way to Philly, very much on autopilot, to watch the Mets game, or on his way back to Jersey to pass out for 72 hours. Either way - Greg, thank you so much! You were the one that made this trip possible on every account, from planning and logistics to navigation to execution and entertainment. You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar - everything Kiki aspires to be ;-)
This time we rolled into the city around 7:00 and arrived at Michael's place in Garden City (by way of Long Island) around 8AM. Mike was a riot to have on the trip with us but at this point the riot was over. He needed to turn around and get to work, and Greg and I were no less desperate for sleep. Garden City was immaculate and it was evident that the houses weren't exactly cheap. In any case this house provided a bit of well-deserved respite from the road for Greg and a waystation for me to change and freshen up a bit.
After a two hour power nap it was back to the crowded city streets again to meet Orlando and Saveena, aka Gyrick-XX and Rosette_Chrno from my Ragnarok guild. I've never met a guild in an online game that seemed as dedicated to one another in game as they do in real life, and this was simply more evidence of such devotion. We all have fun in game, but IRL we listen to each other, share with each other, laugh, and cry. Problems as serious as deaths in the family and struggles with governments are borne by one another; joys ranging from obtaining a drivers license (that is, if Muffin ever DID get her license...) to hearing children laughing in the background to watching anime and drinking Pepsi are shared as well. We met at Yummie's at 12th St and 3rd Ave....great peeps, great conversation, great food, and great times. Rose and G, thank you for meeting me there and sharing wth me, offering your lives in and out of game, and for the meal! I look forward to seeing you again sometime.
Another long ride back to the other side of town lands me here at JFK. I was concerned about getting through security so I repacked all my stuff. Ironically, this was the *fastest* security check-in I've ever had (five minutes front to back, done deal). It's been a beautiful day with low humidity and clear skies and the flight is scheduled to leave on time.
As we travelled through the city from destination to destination, it was great just to see the architecture and lifestyle of the people. I saw Shea Stadium, both major airports, the US Open place (freakin huge for a tennis court...are you kidding me?), the World's Fair Expo (many of you would know this by sight, recognizing it as where the two UFOs were at the end of Men in Black). Various bridges, street-side shops, subway stations, and the like. The city is not without it's problems. Rent is ridiculous, driving is a life-and-death proposal, homelessness is an issue...things like that. But, even with it's problems, NYC is a beautiful place. The people, while hardened, still seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even at 2AM people were outside taking jogs and walking their dogs with no fear in their eyes. There are more parks than anywhere I've ever seen, and there is plenty of activity in those parks. The people are resiliant, bouncing back from tragedies as severe as 9/11 to as minor as a car stalled in the middle of the road, but regardless of the size of the challenge the city simply knows how to regroup, adapt, and overcome on the fly. Nothing less than an NBC attack on the ENTIRE city could take it down, and even then I wonder if the city comes out on top.
I'm ready to come home. I've had fun and seen great friends, but there are some folks that I dearly miss and want to get back to. Before I do, though, one last shout out to Greg who's either on his way to Philly, very much on autopilot, to watch the Mets game, or on his way back to Jersey to pass out for 72 hours. Either way - Greg, thank you so much! You were the one that made this trip possible on every account, from planning and logistics to navigation to execution and entertainment. You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar - everything Kiki aspires to be ;-)
The Con (in summation)
First off, let me say that there will be no pictures. I was barely outside of the exhibit hall, and the tournament hall was really nothing terribly photogenic beyond the assorted pics of the players and winners (which I'll link to later). The exhibit hall was good but it pales in comparison to ComicCon...as does pretty much everything else.
We had a great tournament turn-out. 28-32 people for various side events with 80 people showing up for worlds. All the side events went pretty well with only two exceptions, and both of those were logistical in nature (we had to delay the start of the Alchemist Challenge and Tournament of Champions because we simply didn't have the bodies/manpower at those times due to other minor issues during the day). Worlds really was a great competition - particularly the top 16! Five members from Team Hammergirl made the top 16, as did three folks from Arizona. Two 'Zonies even made top four (well done, Justin and Ricardo!). The stress came in the fourth and fifth hours for me. During the fourth hour we noticed that the tournament software decided to urinate on itself and replace two folks' names with "???". Brilliant! After about 30 minutes of trying to fix it we finally re-input the entire tournament by hand up to that folks. Sure, only 3 rounds, but at 40 results per round...not so fun. Problem two came in the fifth hour when I made two bum rulings. One was easily fixed and didn't have any real impact on the match or tournament, fortunately. The other permitted players to play a card according to a clarification that was made on the forums long ago but apparently not entered into an official rules document - I know better, but in my sleep deprived state I enabled it to continue. While I don't believe either ruling would have had any material impact on the top 16, I hold myself to a higher standard than that. Lessons learned.T
As it turned out, the final pairing was something of my worst nightmare. One of the fellows in the finals was a guy that I nearly kicked out of the tournament hall last year. He's not a bad guy...just doesn't know when to stop talking and is still learning when to be serious versus when his form of humor is acceptable. He actually reminds me a lot of Tom Arnold (in actions and speech manerisms, not appearance). So I have the pleasure of watching this guy through a best two of three format with an increased time limit. "Yes, you have to take required actions. No, you can't throw your card stacks towards your opponent. Yes, you really do have to randomize your cards above the table rather than below it." Wheee!!!!
While the tournament was a grind at times, much hilarity ensued at 3:30 in the morning. When we got back to the hotel rooms Mike started playing with the text-to-speech feature of his browser. By the time we were done I'd laughed my abdominals and cheeks into cramped little muscles...it hurt!!! When you're tired and have been counting cards all day, there's not much funnier than hearing a computer say in it's best Stephen Hawkings voice, "Comb your beard! I don't wanna hear that shit!........ Penis."
The Con was good, but much tiring. This one might have even been my last one for a good while so I guess it's bittersweet. At this point I'm out of flight vouchers and I want a real vacation. All I know is this fall I'm heading to the beach with someone and it will have nothing to do with a convention whatsoever. Go me! :-)
We had a great tournament turn-out. 28-32 people for various side events with 80 people showing up for worlds. All the side events went pretty well with only two exceptions, and both of those were logistical in nature (we had to delay the start of the Alchemist Challenge and Tournament of Champions because we simply didn't have the bodies/manpower at those times due to other minor issues during the day). Worlds really was a great competition - particularly the top 16! Five members from Team Hammergirl made the top 16, as did three folks from Arizona. Two 'Zonies even made top four (well done, Justin and Ricardo!). The stress came in the fourth and fifth hours for me. During the fourth hour we noticed that the tournament software decided to urinate on itself and replace two folks' names with "???". Brilliant! After about 30 minutes of trying to fix it we finally re-input the entire tournament by hand up to that folks. Sure, only 3 rounds, but at 40 results per round...not so fun. Problem two came in the fifth hour when I made two bum rulings. One was easily fixed and didn't have any real impact on the match or tournament, fortunately. The other permitted players to play a card according to a clarification that was made on the forums long ago but apparently not entered into an official rules document - I know better, but in my sleep deprived state I enabled it to continue. While I don't believe either ruling would have had any material impact on the top 16, I hold myself to a higher standard than that. Lessons learned.T
As it turned out, the final pairing was something of my worst nightmare. One of the fellows in the finals was a guy that I nearly kicked out of the tournament hall last year. He's not a bad guy...just doesn't know when to stop talking and is still learning when to be serious versus when his form of humor is acceptable. He actually reminds me a lot of Tom Arnold (in actions and speech manerisms, not appearance). So I have the pleasure of watching this guy through a best two of three format with an increased time limit. "Yes, you have to take required actions. No, you can't throw your card stacks towards your opponent. Yes, you really do have to randomize your cards above the table rather than below it." Wheee!!!!
While the tournament was a grind at times, much hilarity ensued at 3:30 in the morning. When we got back to the hotel rooms Mike started playing with the text-to-speech feature of his browser. By the time we were done I'd laughed my abdominals and cheeks into cramped little muscles...it hurt!!! When you're tired and have been counting cards all day, there's not much funnier than hearing a computer say in it's best Stephen Hawkings voice, "Comb your beard! I don't wanna hear that shit!........ Penis."
The Con was good, but much tiring. This one might have even been my last one for a good while so I guess it's bittersweet. At this point I'm out of flight vouchers and I want a real vacation. All I know is this fall I'm heading to the beach with someone and it will have nothing to do with a convention whatsoever. Go me! :-)
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Too much judging, not enough beer
Let see here...so far the tally looks like this:
Hours spent judging - 30
Drinks consumed during the convention - 0
/sad
Tonight I got so bored and tired ans sleep deprived that I started singing "On the twelve days of Worlds my players gave to me..."
Every day ended with "...a beer!" Too bad that was only a made up song and not reality - any player that brought me a beer would have received an automatic game win.
The real irony of all this is that our tournaments have been held in the Budweiser Lounge all weekend (no joke!), and all weekend the lounge has remained completely dry, selling only water and soda.
Notice that neither of those options is beer.
Hours spent judging - 30
Drinks consumed during the convention - 0
/sad
Tonight I got so bored and tired ans sleep deprived that I started singing "On the twelve days of Worlds my players gave to me..."
Every day ended with "...a beer!" Too bad that was only a made up song and not reality - any player that brought me a beer would have received an automatic game win.
The real irony of all this is that our tournaments have been held in the Budweiser Lounge all weekend (no joke!), and all weekend the lounge has remained completely dry, selling only water and soda.
Notice that neither of those options is beer.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
The city that never sleeps (so neither did I)(or Hayden)
The flight was pretty uneventful and actually passed seemingly quickly. Nothing noteworthy other than my streak of having to go through the furthest gates from the the baggage claim and/or entrance is intact *thrills not really*. In any case, I make the mile-long trek to retrieve my bag and head outside to meet Greg.
For being a large airport, JFK has a pretty streamlined passenger pickup system. That is, assuming you make it past the bevy of cab drivers that assail you with their cornecopia of foreign accents. I didn't mind that they asked VERY proactively if I needed a cab. It's their job, and more than a few people do require their services. HOWEVER, when driver A asks if I need a taxi and receives a response in the negative, you would figure that drivers B, C, D, ...M - all of which are within earshot or eyesight of my original response - would have figured out that I STILL don't need a cab. But they didn't, and they asked, and I said "No, I'm good, thanks," about 13 times. I love New York! So after I forged my way through the mass of medallions I crossed the street to the passenger pickup area where Greg was waiting and we were off to the big city!
At about 3 miles per hour.
Evidently EVERYONE tries to leave JFK at about 11:30 EST. But we survived. Our first order of business, I tell my driver, is food. I've had a bagel and some fries at this point, thus my powerful need for sustanence. He asks what I'm in the mood for, I say whatever is filling and won't kill me. He takes me to the Neptune Diner in Astoria, voted best diner in Queens for like 17 decades running or some other similar filthy long streak. I might be exagerating that. But anywho, we go in and the first thing I notice is that in this diner is a full service bar. The bar only has room for two people, but it has all the standard drafts and spirits. Unexpected, but nifteh!!! I'm in no mood for alcohol at this point, however, so we take our seats and I begin to peruse the book-like menu. Once again, the first thing you see is the alcohol menu. That's not so unusual. What IS unusual, though, is that it's located right next to the breakfast menu. "Can I get a short stack and an amaretto sour, please?" I continue looking through the menu and, my heavens, they have EVERYTHING, and it ALL looks good!!! I finally decide, of all things, on a Turkey club. This is most unusual for me because NEVER in my life have I had a Turkey club sandwich. I wanted protein, however, along with something relatively healthy. Oh, and a vanilla coke :-) Folks, I'm convinced that this was the best turkey club you could ever have. The turkey wasn't your standard turkey cold cuts, no. They took a normal, whole turkey breast and sliced it like you might at Thanksgiving (assuming you could slice your turkey in perfect 1/8th inch thick slices), then gave me 8 slices of it. The tomato and lettuce were fresh and crisp, and the bacon was cooked perfectly. Not too much mayo...just enough...and the potato salad was freakin' awesome, too!
Official review - I give the Neptune Diner three thumbs up (I'm grabbing Greg's thumb and pointing it in the air as well)
Honestly, I want to go back and try their other stuff because everything just looked so damn good!
From the Neptune we went to see Hayden in the "city," aka Manhattan. Greg took me down Park Avenue to get to the dorm and meet the man-genius. Wouldn't you know it, he was waiting for us on the corner outside! Superb service, even! I thought we were going to crash there for an hour before driving to Columbus but as it happened we just sat in the sauna (aka the non-air-conditioned confines of the dorm) for a few hours and caught up on times, keeping Hayden up as necessary. Hayden was a fantastic sport about this little visit, though, opening up his schedule and his room to us, for which I am greatful. Sincerely, Hayden, thank you for visiting for a while! Next time we *will* kidnap you, though. Osteoperosis will still be there for you when you get back.
As we left Hayden's place Greg was kind enough to indulge me in a bit of sight-seeing, dark as it was, through the town. After the sight-seeing we headed down to Jersey, made one quick stop at his apartment, and we were off. A few observations...
- In case anyone was wondering, I'm still easily amused. I saw a fruitstand on the side of the road and got excited. Getting fresh fruit at a fruit stand or farmer's market isn't all that big of a deal, but I defy you to find a place that sells such wares at 3:00AM in the Phoenix metro area.
- The moon was RIDICULOUSLY bright and full. Not a cloud in the sky, and we actually drove into the harvest moonset. It was like a spotlight from a police chopper was guiding us (not that I've ever been targeted by a police spotlight)
- Broadway and Time Square are so...bright. And big. And bright. Like brighter than Vegas bright. "They say the neon lights are bright on Brooooadwaaaay..." It's true, and I don't think I've been to any place quite like it. I wanna see more!!!
- Central park is massive. Unless you actually go there I'm not sure it's possible to really grasp just how big it is. Literally, miles long. MILES!!!
- It cracks me up that the Lincoln Tunnel is comprised of four "tubes." Tubes? No, that's what you go floating down the river in. Silly city slickers.
- The speed limit in NYC is 30 mph, and there are NO rights on red lights. Weird, but it's vital to your survival as a motorist.
- Trucks and other vehcles were parked in the middle of the streets as Greg and I were driving around. Some were service vehicles, some were delivery vehicles, and some were random cars. In Phoenix, if you park your vehicle in the middle of the road, you're gonna get a ticket or towed. In NYC, however, this seems to be par for the course. After seeing multiple vehicles jutting out into the roadway, I've summed up the rules that seem to govern this practice into one simple observation: there are none, which leads to the next observation...
- In the Phoenix metro area, speed limits and stop signs are frequenly just suggestions. The drivers of NYC tend to treat lane markings as suggestions. When vehciles park in the middle of the runway, NYC drivers have learned/been forced to instinctively just go where there's space. This helps to explain homo sapiens courtlandae's propensity to bitch at San Diego's downtown drivers.
- Folks in New Jersey have to have 'leet parallel parking skills to live there, as many of the parking jobs left paper-thin resevoirs of space between their cars and those adjacent. How they actually parked between some of those vehciles I'll never comprehend unless it involved some type of crane or VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capabilities.
- Philadelphia smells like dog food; New Jersey smells like a smorgasboard of dung; New York smells like ocean water or trash depending on where you are.
- I woke up at 8:00 AM AZ time on 8/08. I didn't sleep until 3:30PM on 8/09, and then only for about 2.5 hrs. If NYC doesn't sleep, and Hayden wasn't sleeping, than neither was I. And I didn't.
For being a large airport, JFK has a pretty streamlined passenger pickup system. That is, assuming you make it past the bevy of cab drivers that assail you with their cornecopia of foreign accents. I didn't mind that they asked VERY proactively if I needed a cab. It's their job, and more than a few people do require their services. HOWEVER, when driver A asks if I need a taxi and receives a response in the negative, you would figure that drivers B, C, D, ...M - all of which are within earshot or eyesight of my original response - would have figured out that I STILL don't need a cab. But they didn't, and they asked, and I said "No, I'm good, thanks," about 13 times. I love New York! So after I forged my way through the mass of medallions I crossed the street to the passenger pickup area where Greg was waiting and we were off to the big city!
At about 3 miles per hour.
Evidently EVERYONE tries to leave JFK at about 11:30 EST. But we survived. Our first order of business, I tell my driver, is food. I've had a bagel and some fries at this point, thus my powerful need for sustanence. He asks what I'm in the mood for, I say whatever is filling and won't kill me. He takes me to the Neptune Diner in Astoria, voted best diner in Queens for like 17 decades running or some other similar filthy long streak. I might be exagerating that. But anywho, we go in and the first thing I notice is that in this diner is a full service bar. The bar only has room for two people, but it has all the standard drafts and spirits. Unexpected, but nifteh!!! I'm in no mood for alcohol at this point, however, so we take our seats and I begin to peruse the book-like menu. Once again, the first thing you see is the alcohol menu. That's not so unusual. What IS unusual, though, is that it's located right next to the breakfast menu. "Can I get a short stack and an amaretto sour, please?" I continue looking through the menu and, my heavens, they have EVERYTHING, and it ALL looks good!!! I finally decide, of all things, on a Turkey club. This is most unusual for me because NEVER in my life have I had a Turkey club sandwich. I wanted protein, however, along with something relatively healthy. Oh, and a vanilla coke :-) Folks, I'm convinced that this was the best turkey club you could ever have. The turkey wasn't your standard turkey cold cuts, no. They took a normal, whole turkey breast and sliced it like you might at Thanksgiving (assuming you could slice your turkey in perfect 1/8th inch thick slices), then gave me 8 slices of it. The tomato and lettuce were fresh and crisp, and the bacon was cooked perfectly. Not too much mayo...just enough...and the potato salad was freakin' awesome, too!
Official review - I give the Neptune Diner three thumbs up (I'm grabbing Greg's thumb and pointing it in the air as well)
Honestly, I want to go back and try their other stuff because everything just looked so damn good!
From the Neptune we went to see Hayden in the "city," aka Manhattan. Greg took me down Park Avenue to get to the dorm and meet the man-genius. Wouldn't you know it, he was waiting for us on the corner outside! Superb service, even! I thought we were going to crash there for an hour before driving to Columbus but as it happened we just sat in the sauna (aka the non-air-conditioned confines of the dorm) for a few hours and caught up on times, keeping Hayden up as necessary. Hayden was a fantastic sport about this little visit, though, opening up his schedule and his room to us, for which I am greatful. Sincerely, Hayden, thank you for visiting for a while! Next time we *will* kidnap you, though. Osteoperosis will still be there for you when you get back.
As we left Hayden's place Greg was kind enough to indulge me in a bit of sight-seeing, dark as it was, through the town. After the sight-seeing we headed down to Jersey, made one quick stop at his apartment, and we were off. A few observations...
- In case anyone was wondering, I'm still easily amused. I saw a fruitstand on the side of the road and got excited. Getting fresh fruit at a fruit stand or farmer's market isn't all that big of a deal, but I defy you to find a place that sells such wares at 3:00AM in the Phoenix metro area.
- The moon was RIDICULOUSLY bright and full. Not a cloud in the sky, and we actually drove into the harvest moonset. It was like a spotlight from a police chopper was guiding us (not that I've ever been targeted by a police spotlight)
- Broadway and Time Square are so...bright. And big. And bright. Like brighter than Vegas bright. "They say the neon lights are bright on Brooooadwaaaay..." It's true, and I don't think I've been to any place quite like it. I wanna see more!!!
- Central park is massive. Unless you actually go there I'm not sure it's possible to really grasp just how big it is. Literally, miles long. MILES!!!
- It cracks me up that the Lincoln Tunnel is comprised of four "tubes." Tubes? No, that's what you go floating down the river in. Silly city slickers.
- The speed limit in NYC is 30 mph, and there are NO rights on red lights. Weird, but it's vital to your survival as a motorist.
- Trucks and other vehcles were parked in the middle of the streets as Greg and I were driving around. Some were service vehicles, some were delivery vehicles, and some were random cars. In Phoenix, if you park your vehicle in the middle of the road, you're gonna get a ticket or towed. In NYC, however, this seems to be par for the course. After seeing multiple vehicles jutting out into the roadway, I've summed up the rules that seem to govern this practice into one simple observation: there are none, which leads to the next observation...
- In the Phoenix metro area, speed limits and stop signs are frequenly just suggestions. The drivers of NYC tend to treat lane markings as suggestions. When vehciles park in the middle of the runway, NYC drivers have learned/been forced to instinctively just go where there's space. This helps to explain homo sapiens courtlandae's propensity to bitch at San Diego's downtown drivers.
- Folks in New Jersey have to have 'leet parallel parking skills to live there, as many of the parking jobs left paper-thin resevoirs of space between their cars and those adjacent. How they actually parked between some of those vehciles I'll never comprehend unless it involved some type of crane or VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capabilities.
- Philadelphia smells like dog food; New Jersey smells like a smorgasboard of dung; New York smells like ocean water or trash depending on where you are.
- I woke up at 8:00 AM AZ time on 8/08. I didn't sleep until 3:30PM on 8/09, and then only for about 2.5 hrs. If NYC doesn't sleep, and Hayden wasn't sleeping, than neither was I. And I didn't.
Going to Indy by way of NCY...FTW?
I got packed and cleaned up pretty quickly this morning, but there were three stops to be made - a vitamin C trip to Frys, a stop off at the Emerald Palace campus to dance a long-overdue jig (I couldn't go inside since I was on my 5-day mandatory trip which means everyone on the south end of the building could have seen my 'leet dance moves), and a stop at the brother's house for the laptop (thanks Sonny!). After that it was a scary van ride to the airport.
I love the airport, but I really enjoy Sky Harbor over many of the others for one main reason - the drunken automated terminal attendant. It's a program that recognizes phonograms and has a voice clip for each phonogram presented in a message. Some messages are pre-programmed to repeat every X minutes; others are paging folks to various areas. It's the latter of the two types that are rather humorous because, while it DOES recognize phonograms, it DOESN't know when to use the various sound clips. So, if you were to try and page "Bret Favre" it would pronounce it "Bret Farve" (AS ANY GOOD YOUNG ENGLISH STUDENT SHOULD! How the hell that's not Farve, I'll never know). The other problem with it is that it doesn't understand standard timing/spacing or pauses in diction so every phonogram in a word is rather slurred together (thus, the drunken). As often as I've heard this thing in action, it never gets old.
The original plan was to fly to NYC, meet up w/Greg, and drive through Columbus to Indianapolis thereby making what should have been a 3400 mile round trip into roughly 6000. Well done! Plans changed for the better, though, as Greg - genius that he is - came up with the idea of detouring down to Kentucky to see Aaron Harang pitch against Chris Carpenter. More miles, but more fun! Cool! Wait, no, plans changed again. Now we're picking up his friend at Port Columbus and meeting a couple of ladies from GAMA, Jody and Sue, for lunch but I guess we're not hitting the game. Oh well, I'd love to see the game but lunch will still be good, as is splitting the vehicle and gas costs three ways instead of two.
We ended up sitting on the plane for about a 1/2 hour as they delayed all the traffic that would be heading N/E to the St. Paul routing. I don't mind sitting on the plane, but the problem was that the engines were still running and causing the plane to bounce up and down, simulating it's own turbulance. Perfect. We were delayed to avoid turbulence, so we decided to create our own? Yeah!!! F you, control tower! We got your turbulence right here!
So here I sit, about 105 minutes left of the flight, largly surrounded by children.
CAA ACA
CCA MAA
AAA CAC
Fortunately only one is an infant and has been relatively well behaved.
So far, good trip, save for one minor...well, no, pretty big detail - I'm mad hungry!!! I really didn't feel like the airline food and the Italian Sausage and fries I had before I left isn't doing the trick. They say NYC is the city that doesn't sleep. Well, Ol' Blue Eyes, mah tummy is prayin' that you're right because the first thing I'm going to ask Greg to do is take me to get some grub.
That's all for now.
I love the airport, but I really enjoy Sky Harbor over many of the others for one main reason - the drunken automated terminal attendant. It's a program that recognizes phonograms and has a voice clip for each phonogram presented in a message. Some messages are pre-programmed to repeat every X minutes; others are paging folks to various areas. It's the latter of the two types that are rather humorous because, while it DOES recognize phonograms, it DOESN't know when to use the various sound clips. So, if you were to try and page "Bret Favre" it would pronounce it "Bret Farve" (AS ANY GOOD YOUNG ENGLISH STUDENT SHOULD! How the hell that's not Farve, I'll never know). The other problem with it is that it doesn't understand standard timing/spacing or pauses in diction so every phonogram in a word is rather slurred together (thus, the drunken). As often as I've heard this thing in action, it never gets old.
The original plan was to fly to NYC, meet up w/Greg, and drive through Columbus to Indianapolis thereby making what should have been a 3400 mile round trip into roughly 6000. Well done! Plans changed for the better, though, as Greg - genius that he is - came up with the idea of detouring down to Kentucky to see Aaron Harang pitch against Chris Carpenter. More miles, but more fun! Cool! Wait, no, plans changed again. Now we're picking up his friend at Port Columbus and meeting a couple of ladies from GAMA, Jody and Sue, for lunch but I guess we're not hitting the game. Oh well, I'd love to see the game but lunch will still be good, as is splitting the vehicle and gas costs three ways instead of two.
We ended up sitting on the plane for about a 1/2 hour as they delayed all the traffic that would be heading N/E to the St. Paul routing. I don't mind sitting on the plane, but the problem was that the engines were still running and causing the plane to bounce up and down, simulating it's own turbulance. Perfect. We were delayed to avoid turbulence, so we decided to create our own? Yeah!!! F you, control tower! We got your turbulence right here!
So here I sit, about 105 minutes left of the flight, largly surrounded by children.
CAA ACA
CCA MAA
AAA CAC
Fortunately only one is an infant and has been relatively well behaved.
So far, good trip, save for one minor...well, no, pretty big detail - I'm mad hungry!!! I really didn't feel like the airline food and the Italian Sausage and fries I had before I left isn't doing the trick. They say NYC is the city that doesn't sleep. Well, Ol' Blue Eyes, mah tummy is prayin' that you're right because the first thing I'm going to ask Greg to do is take me to get some grub.
That's all for now.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
One of my favorite mini-stories
I still laugh when I read this. No, I didn't write it.
***
I like monkeys.
The pet store was selling them for five cents a piece. I thought this was odd since they were normally a couple thousand. I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth so I bought 200 of them. I like monkeys.
I took my 200 monkeys home. I have a big car. I let one of them drive. His name was Sigmund. He was retarded. In fact, none of them were really bright. They kept punching themselves in the genitals. I laughed. They punched me in the genitals. I stopped laughing.
I herded them into my room. They didn't adapt very well into their new environment. They would screech and hurl themselves off the couch at high speeds and slam into the wall. Although humorous at first, the spectacle lost its novelty halfway into its third hour.
Two hours later I found out why all the monkeys were so inexpensive. They all died. No apparent reason. They all just sort of dropped dead. Kinda like when you buy a goldfish and it dies five hours later. God damn cheap monkeys.
I didn't know what to do. There were 200 dead monkeys lying all over my room; on the bed, in the dresser, hanging from my bookcase. It looked like I had 200 throw rugs. I tried to flush one down the toilet. It didn't work. It got stuck. Then I had one dead, wet monkey and one hundred ninety-nine dead, dry monkeys.
I tried to pretend that they were just stuffed animals. That worked for awhile...that is, until they started to decompose. It started to smell really bad.
I had to pee but there was a dead monkey in my toilet and I didn't want to call a plumber. I was embarrassed.
I tried to slow down the decompostition by freezing them. Unfortunately there was only enough room for two at a time, so I had to change them every thirty seconds. I also had to eat all the food in the freezer so it didn't go bad.
I tried to burn them, but little did I know that my bed was flammable. I had to extinguish the fire.
Then I had one dead, wet monkey in my toilet; two dead, frozen monkeys in my freezer; and one hundred ninety-seven dead, charred monkeys in a pile on my bed. The oder wasn't improving.
I became agitated at my inability to dispose of the dead monkeys and I really had to use the bathroom. So I went and severely beat one of the monkeys. I felt better.
I tried throwing them away but the garbage man said the city was not allowed to dispose of charred primates. I told him I had a wet one. He couldn't take it either. I didn't bother asking about the frozen ones.
I finally arrived at a solution. I gave them out as Christmas gifts. My friends didn't quite know what to say. They pretended to like them, but I could tell they were lying. Ingrates. So I punched them in the genitals.
I like monkeys.
***
I like monkeys.
The pet store was selling them for five cents a piece. I thought this was odd since they were normally a couple thousand. I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth so I bought 200 of them. I like monkeys.
I took my 200 monkeys home. I have a big car. I let one of them drive. His name was Sigmund. He was retarded. In fact, none of them were really bright. They kept punching themselves in the genitals. I laughed. They punched me in the genitals. I stopped laughing.
I herded them into my room. They didn't adapt very well into their new environment. They would screech and hurl themselves off the couch at high speeds and slam into the wall. Although humorous at first, the spectacle lost its novelty halfway into its third hour.
Two hours later I found out why all the monkeys were so inexpensive. They all died. No apparent reason. They all just sort of dropped dead. Kinda like when you buy a goldfish and it dies five hours later. God damn cheap monkeys.
I didn't know what to do. There were 200 dead monkeys lying all over my room; on the bed, in the dresser, hanging from my bookcase. It looked like I had 200 throw rugs. I tried to flush one down the toilet. It didn't work. It got stuck. Then I had one dead, wet monkey and one hundred ninety-nine dead, dry monkeys.
I tried to pretend that they were just stuffed animals. That worked for awhile...that is, until they started to decompose. It started to smell really bad.
I had to pee but there was a dead monkey in my toilet and I didn't want to call a plumber. I was embarrassed.
I tried to slow down the decompostition by freezing them. Unfortunately there was only enough room for two at a time, so I had to change them every thirty seconds. I also had to eat all the food in the freezer so it didn't go bad.
I tried to burn them, but little did I know that my bed was flammable. I had to extinguish the fire.
Then I had one dead, wet monkey in my toilet; two dead, frozen monkeys in my freezer; and one hundred ninety-seven dead, charred monkeys in a pile on my bed. The oder wasn't improving.
I became agitated at my inability to dispose of the dead monkeys and I really had to use the bathroom. So I went and severely beat one of the monkeys. I felt better.
I tried throwing them away but the garbage man said the city was not allowed to dispose of charred primates. I told him I had a wet one. He couldn't take it either. I didn't bother asking about the frozen ones.
I finally arrived at a solution. I gave them out as Christmas gifts. My friends didn't quite know what to say. They pretended to like them, but I could tell they were lying. Ingrates. So I punched them in the genitals.
I like monkeys.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Because I'm feeling a bit revealing (and bored) at the moment
1. Where were you 3 hours ago?
Same place I am right now - in front of my computer and the TV.
2. Who are you in love with?
Woah...
3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?
Not on purpose, I think I hate a little wax as a kid when trying to peel the paper off with my teeth...
4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Strangely, yes. Brittney made a Ninja sign for me with a pink-and-yellow highlighted background that's on my monitor.
5. When is the last time you went to the mall?
About six weeks ago when I went browsing for some of the finishing touches on Brittney's b-day gift.
6. Are you wearing socks right now?
Nope.
7. Do you have a car worth over $2,000?
Sure do!
8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
Two weeks ago. Ahhh...San Diego, how I miss thee!
9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Nah.
10. Are you hot?
I have never described myself at hot. Occasionally as sexy, but not hot. Others might have said I'm hot...I don't specifically recall. I know they've said my eyes are hot along with various other parts of the body, but I don't remember any of them calling the whole package hot.
And if you mean, "Am I in the sweltering heat?" No, we have a/c.
11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water (and I'm ashamed to admit that)
12. What are you wearing right now?
Shorts and a t.
13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?
Generally the car wash, but sometimes me. My girlfriend thinks I should go over to her place and wash my car in a bikini. We'll see if that happens (wait, no we wont...).
14. Last food that you ate?
Pretzels
15. Where were you last week at this time?
Out w/Sonny havin' me a beer.
16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
No.
17. When is the last time you ran?
A couple weeks ago at ComicCon.
18. What's the last sporting event you watched?
X-games as I type.
19. What is your favorite animal?
Dogs!
20. Your dream vacation?
Ummm...something involving spending time on the ocean (that's not a cruise) either in SoCal or western Europe.
21. Last person's house you were in?
My folks.
22. Worst injury you've ever had?
Shattered my wrist in 8th grade, breaking six different bones. Took twelve weeks to recover and it never healed correctly.
23. Have you been in love?
Damn straight!
24. Do you miss anyone right now?
Absolutely. The girlfriend and the best friends...
25. Last play you saw?
Ummm...God's Favorite by Neil Simon.
26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
Little romantic gestures, massages, and stories....
27. What are your plans for tonight?
Going to go hang out w/Joe and some of the guys to help celebrate his birthday.
28. Who is the last person you sent a MySpace message or comment?
F MySpace. MySpace is the dark side. I heart Google!!!
29. Next trip you are going to take?
Heading to Indy by way of New York and I can't freakin' wait!
30. Ever go to camp?
Yes, and oh how I loved them. Pine Summit holds a lot of memories for me...
31. Were you an honor roll student in school?
Definitely, but it's not really something I aimed for.
32. What do you want to know about the future?
If I'll ever get hitched again or have children.
33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
At the moment, no. But I generally do.
34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit?
Man I hope not. I already saw too many this year.
35. Where is your best friend?
I would guess in his house in Phoenix.
36. How is your best friend?
An idiot. We get along famously.
37. Do you have a tan?
The sun is my enemy. No, no tan. I go from white to red in a few moments.
38. What are you listening to right now?
No music at the moment.
39. Do you collect anything?
Ohio State trinkets and collectable cards.
40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
A couple of folks at work.
41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?
Umm...a little over three years ago for a speeding ticket. I had just picked up In N Out burger and was bringing it home to the gf.
42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
Haven't most of us? Yes.
43. What does your last text message say?
Received - Having a great time! We went to the arch and union station yesterday, and are going to the game tonight!
Sent - Sounds like a great time! Take care...
44. Do you like hot sauce?
Sometimes.
45. Last time you took a shower?
Yesterday morning. Need to take one here pretty soon tho. Time to stop being lazy and go out.
46. Do you need to do laundry?
Doing it currently. One more load to go...
47. What is your heritage?
Western European mutt.
48. Are you someone's best friend?
Unless this one died, too, yes.
49. Are you rich?
Heheh....not a chance.
50. What were you doing at 12AM last night?
Watching Son in Law. It's so stupid but I still love that movie.
Same place I am right now - in front of my computer and the TV.
2. Who are you in love with?
Woah...
3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?
Not on purpose, I think I hate a little wax as a kid when trying to peel the paper off with my teeth...
4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Strangely, yes. Brittney made a Ninja sign for me with a pink-and-yellow highlighted background that's on my monitor.
5. When is the last time you went to the mall?
About six weeks ago when I went browsing for some of the finishing touches on Brittney's b-day gift.
6. Are you wearing socks right now?
Nope.
7. Do you have a car worth over $2,000?
Sure do!
8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
Two weeks ago. Ahhh...San Diego, how I miss thee!
9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Nah.
10. Are you hot?
I have never described myself at hot. Occasionally as sexy, but not hot. Others might have said I'm hot...I don't specifically recall. I know they've said my eyes are hot along with various other parts of the body, but I don't remember any of them calling the whole package hot.
And if you mean, "Am I in the sweltering heat?" No, we have a/c.
11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water (and I'm ashamed to admit that)
12. What are you wearing right now?
Shorts and a t.
13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?
Generally the car wash, but sometimes me. My girlfriend thinks I should go over to her place and wash my car in a bikini. We'll see if that happens (wait, no we wont...).
14. Last food that you ate?
Pretzels
15. Where were you last week at this time?
Out w/Sonny havin' me a beer.
16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
No.
17. When is the last time you ran?
A couple weeks ago at ComicCon.
18. What's the last sporting event you watched?
X-games as I type.
19. What is your favorite animal?
Dogs!
20. Your dream vacation?
Ummm...something involving spending time on the ocean (that's not a cruise) either in SoCal or western Europe.
21. Last person's house you were in?
My folks.
22. Worst injury you've ever had?
Shattered my wrist in 8th grade, breaking six different bones. Took twelve weeks to recover and it never healed correctly.
23. Have you been in love?
Damn straight!
24. Do you miss anyone right now?
Absolutely. The girlfriend and the best friends...
25. Last play you saw?
Ummm...God's Favorite by Neil Simon.
26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
Little romantic gestures, massages, and stories....
27. What are your plans for tonight?
Going to go hang out w/Joe and some of the guys to help celebrate his birthday.
28. Who is the last person you sent a MySpace message or comment?
F MySpace. MySpace is the dark side. I heart Google!!!
29. Next trip you are going to take?
Heading to Indy by way of New York and I can't freakin' wait!
30. Ever go to camp?
Yes, and oh how I loved them. Pine Summit holds a lot of memories for me...
31. Were you an honor roll student in school?
Definitely, but it's not really something I aimed for.
32. What do you want to know about the future?
If I'll ever get hitched again or have children.
33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
At the moment, no. But I generally do.
34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit?
Man I hope not. I already saw too many this year.
35. Where is your best friend?
I would guess in his house in Phoenix.
36. How is your best friend?
An idiot. We get along famously.
37. Do you have a tan?
The sun is my enemy. No, no tan. I go from white to red in a few moments.
38. What are you listening to right now?
No music at the moment.
39. Do you collect anything?
Ohio State trinkets and collectable cards.
40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
A couple of folks at work.
41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?
Umm...a little over three years ago for a speeding ticket. I had just picked up In N Out burger and was bringing it home to the gf.
42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
Haven't most of us? Yes.
43. What does your last text message say?
Received - Having a great time! We went to the arch and union station yesterday, and are going to the game tonight!
Sent - Sounds like a great time! Take care...
44. Do you like hot sauce?
Sometimes.
45. Last time you took a shower?
Yesterday morning. Need to take one here pretty soon tho. Time to stop being lazy and go out.
46. Do you need to do laundry?
Doing it currently. One more load to go...
47. What is your heritage?
Western European mutt.
48. Are you someone's best friend?
Unless this one died, too, yes.
49. Are you rich?
Heheh....not a chance.
50. What were you doing at 12AM last night?
Watching Son in Law. It's so stupid but I still love that movie.
Cause for a celebration
FOOTBALL!!!
Thank goodness it's back! Looking forward to the seasons - pro, college, post, and fantasy (maybe I'll actually win a league this year)!
Thank goodness it's back! Looking forward to the seasons - pro, college, post, and fantasy (maybe I'll actually win a league this year)!
Friday, August 04, 2006
My worst nightmare - STA PLE
I just saw a new Jack in the Box commercial where Jack allows one of his employees to introduce a new "pick-me-up" into the office - a cheerleader that runs around shouting all sorts of office nonsense in your stereotypical 5AM chipper antichrist voice.
I swear on all that is currency, if someone comes up and does that to me at work there will be pain...lots and lots of pain. But man, is that commercial funny!
(PS - I did a brief search for it on the internet (read as "I checked two sites") and couldn't find it. If anybody can provide me a link to it I'd be your friend for a while.)
I swear on all that is currency, if someone comes up and does that to me at work there will be pain...lots and lots of pain. But man, is that commercial funny!
(PS - I did a brief search for it on the internet (read as "I checked two sites") and couldn't find it. If anybody can provide me a link to it I'd be your friend for a while.)
Rules to live by (at conventions)
For those that haven't been to a con before, please realize that even though this is meant to be funny, his rules are...well, serious. All the stuff he makes fun of is more real than I'd like to admit.
And for those that have been to a convention, you know how true this is...
Foamy's rules for the masses
And for those that have been to a convention, you know how true this is...
Foamy's rules for the masses
Monday, July 31, 2006
Your mom got me fired
I like the "your mom" jokes. There' s a certain talent that's required to make them work right (your mom has a certain talent that she works right...). Many of them are hilarious! And generally that's how you know someone's a friend - if you can bust a "your mom" joke on them and they're not offended, you're probablly on pretty good terms .
In any case, having hung around The Company's remnants, splinters, and survivors for some years now, my brain has been trained to subconsciously scan for "your mom" opportunities and comment when such opportunities when detected. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it works when you *really* don't want it to. An employee of mine said, "Man, that eggroll was good!" My brain wanted to respond, "Man, your mom was good!" Fortunately another part of my brain intercepted the message before it got to the ol' vocal cords and saved me from getting fired.
THAT would have been sad. Funny....but sad.
(Yes, I'm sure this post is riddled with "your mom" joke opportunities. I'm okay with that.)
In any case, having hung around The Company's remnants, splinters, and survivors for some years now, my brain has been trained to subconsciously scan for "your mom" opportunities and comment when such opportunities when detected. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes it works when you *really* don't want it to. An employee of mine said, "Man, that eggroll was good!" My brain wanted to respond, "Man, your mom was good!" Fortunately another part of my brain intercepted the message before it got to the ol' vocal cords and saved me from getting fired.
THAT would have been sad. Funny....but sad.
(Yes, I'm sure this post is riddled with "your mom" joke opportunities. I'm okay with that.)
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Start spreadin' the news...
I'm goin' to New York, baby! Woohoo! It's only for a day at a time, but still...I'll finally make it to the Big Apple!
(And Hayden, in case Greg hasn't told you, we're gonna kidnap you and take you with us to GenCon)
(And Hayden, in case Greg hasn't told you, we're gonna kidnap you and take you with us to GenCon)
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Please Don't Tease!
I see clouds above me. I see lightning all around me. I hear thunder about me. But I don't feel rain falling on me.
This is most distressing.
(EDIT: And wouldn't you know it, not 30 seconds after I post, the rain comes down. Sweet!)
This is most distressing.
(EDIT: And wouldn't you know it, not 30 seconds after I post, the rain comes down. Sweet!)
Spineless Idiots
I'm sick of spineless idiot guys. I can't really call them spineless idiot "men" because they're not. Males, but not men. But yeah, I'm sick of hearing about them. Dammit, love your wives, your daughters, your girlfriends, your mothers, your nieces, and the other significant women in your life. Cherish them, care for them, enjoy your time with them, but, for the love of all creation, don't abuse them! Women are not items to be used or wasted and tossed aside. They are not curses or diseases you try to rid yourself of. They are not prey to be hunted or trapped. They're not car payments you make just to keep your credit rating up.
Guys that read this blog - know that I'm not referring to you. I probably wouldn't associate with you much if I felt you resembled this description. I'm just fed up at the moment with guys being dumbasses. I'd like to think that having a penis doesn't automatically force us to act like animals (yes, we all have our moments but I'm talking about patterns of behavior)...it's just that lately the actions of other males are causing me to lose faith.
Bastards.
Guys that read this blog - know that I'm not referring to you. I probably wouldn't associate with you much if I felt you resembled this description. I'm just fed up at the moment with guys being dumbasses. I'd like to think that having a penis doesn't automatically force us to act like animals (yes, we all have our moments but I'm talking about patterns of behavior)...it's just that lately the actions of other males are causing me to lose faith.
Bastards.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
ComicCon Day 2 and 3
Day 2 was relatively uneventful, save for Buca which is always an event. We had 23 people present for the gorging, including two special guests, Vic and Aaron (the voice actors for Edward and Alphonse Elric). Dinner was an absolute riot...Vic and his lady friend/wife (not sure which it is) are freakin hilarious, and Aaron is a trip. He's 13 years old and traveling the country with his mother signing autographs for hundreds of thousands of people...what an experience for someone not yet out of junior high! Very cool kid, though. We talked about all sorts of stuff, from school to religion to family to just hanging out.
Day 3 - Saturday. I have difficulty even beginning to describe the mass of humanity that is Saturday. Last year 85,000+ showed up for that day alone, and this year doesn't seem to be much different. During my lunch hour I went to see what I could see while I tested how long it took to make it from one end of the hall to the opposite corner and back again (round trip took one hour). Along the way I bumped into Stan Lee and his entourage of body guards as he was making his way to the panel he was scheduled for, Jon De Lancy with his grey hair and all signing autographs at the Stargate area, copious amounts of booth babes sporting varying degrees of clothing, people that hadn't showered since they got here Wednesday, and everything in between.
As I was walking around it occurred to me that, while the convention attendees are probably the most ecclectic gathering of minds and bodies imagineable, they can still be grouped/classified. I'll do my best to catch them all here...
Celebrity artists - 'nuff said. Some are only in the autograph area, others are bold enough to walk the floor on their own.
Non-celebrity artists/creators - often times they'll have small booths in either the no-name comic section or the artist alley section hoping that someone will see their work and get signed to be the next big thing...or even anything. They tend to be very excited, or very forlorn looking, depending on their level of hopefullness.
Major producers and their employees/volunteers - These are the Sony's, the WB's, Square-Enix's, Universal Studios, anime licensing companies and their licensees, etc. Very pretty booths in various sizes. Budgets ranging from a few thousand to "Good God, what did you pay to ship that in???" Pretty lights and pretty girls.
Booth babes - The lowest common denominator, and yet most effective eye-catching/advertising technique at the con. Booths with babes get the most attention, period.
Fan girls - OMG, how they annoy me. Pre-teens to as high as early 20's that would fight to the death over who likes so-and-so more and declare that they have the posters, journals, and love letters to prove their affinity for >insert character/celebrity here<. Easily identifiable by their high pitched squeals, costumes, and brightly colored hair. Sound stalkerish? Hmmm...I wonder why...
Lurkers - People (generally men) that hang out at a booth featuring a property/character they are interested in. They don't say anything, but they just sit there staring and looking at the same stuff over and over. The big, strange, silent type. They frighten me some.
General IP/Comic/Movie/TV fans - This is the majority of attendees. Just folk.
Squatters - often times they are the tired, the bewildered, or confused. They had no idea what they were going to when their little nephew said, "Lets go to ComicCon!!!" and didn't bring any food or drink and just paid $30 for the two of them to eat and drink something that really isn't anything, and dammit they just want a place to sit and relax and catch their breath for 5 minutes!
Trekkies/Star Trek lovers - These folks go beyond general fandom and dress as Klingons, Star Fleet officers, storm troopers, bounty hunters, jedi, and other recognizable figures. They join things like as the 501st storm trooper squadron, named Vader's Fist. They change their legal names to Anakin and Padme and name their children Luke and Leai. For real. They go beyond being fans and "live" the fantasy. Typically identified as "nerds."
I think that's a pretty good cross-section. And I'm shoulder-to-shoulder in them. Or was...right now I'm safely tucked away in the tournament hall, thankful not to be out there braving the human storms. *whew!*
Day 3 - Saturday. I have difficulty even beginning to describe the mass of humanity that is Saturday. Last year 85,000+ showed up for that day alone, and this year doesn't seem to be much different. During my lunch hour I went to see what I could see while I tested how long it took to make it from one end of the hall to the opposite corner and back again (round trip took one hour). Along the way I bumped into Stan Lee and his entourage of body guards as he was making his way to the panel he was scheduled for, Jon De Lancy with his grey hair and all signing autographs at the Stargate area, copious amounts of booth babes sporting varying degrees of clothing, people that hadn't showered since they got here Wednesday, and everything in between.
As I was walking around it occurred to me that, while the convention attendees are probably the most ecclectic gathering of minds and bodies imagineable, they can still be grouped/classified. I'll do my best to catch them all here...
Celebrity artists - 'nuff said. Some are only in the autograph area, others are bold enough to walk the floor on their own.
Non-celebrity artists/creators - often times they'll have small booths in either the no-name comic section or the artist alley section hoping that someone will see their work and get signed to be the next big thing...or even anything. They tend to be very excited, or very forlorn looking, depending on their level of hopefullness.
Major producers and their employees/volunteers - These are the Sony's, the WB's, Square-Enix's, Universal Studios, anime licensing companies and their licensees, etc. Very pretty booths in various sizes. Budgets ranging from a few thousand to "Good God, what did you pay to ship that in???" Pretty lights and pretty girls.
Booth babes - The lowest common denominator, and yet most effective eye-catching/advertising technique at the con. Booths with babes get the most attention, period.
Fan girls - OMG, how they annoy me. Pre-teens to as high as early 20's that would fight to the death over who likes so-and-so more and declare that they have the posters, journals, and love letters to prove their affinity for >insert character/celebrity here<. Easily identifiable by their high pitched squeals, costumes, and brightly colored hair. Sound stalkerish? Hmmm...I wonder why...
Lurkers - People (generally men) that hang out at a booth featuring a property/character they are interested in. They don't say anything, but they just sit there staring and looking at the same stuff over and over. The big, strange, silent type. They frighten me some.
General IP/Comic/Movie/TV fans - This is the majority of attendees. Just folk.
Squatters - often times they are the tired, the bewildered, or confused. They had no idea what they were going to when their little nephew said, "Lets go to ComicCon!!!" and didn't bring any food or drink and just paid $30 for the two of them to eat and drink something that really isn't anything, and dammit they just want a place to sit and relax and catch their breath for 5 minutes!
Trekkies/Star Trek lovers - These folks go beyond general fandom and dress as Klingons, Star Fleet officers, storm troopers, bounty hunters, jedi, and other recognizable figures. They join things like as the 501st storm trooper squadron, named Vader's Fist. They change their legal names to Anakin and Padme and name their children Luke and Leai. For real. They go beyond being fans and "live" the fantasy. Typically identified as "nerds."
I think that's a pretty good cross-section. And I'm shoulder-to-shoulder in them. Or was...right now I'm safely tucked away in the tournament hall, thankful not to be out there braving the human storms. *whew!*
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Preview Day and Day 1
Notes from Preview Day/Day 1:
- As soon as I get to the hotel and walk in the lobby, sixteen 16-year olds walk out of the elevator and attempt to count off to 16 to take roll - a task that turns out to be significantly more difficult than what it ought be. Evidently girl #14 was running late but it took them three times of counting up to 13 before they finally realized that A) 15 does NOT come directly after 13 and B) 14 was missing. Evidently it' a girl's club soccer team, not an Academic Decathalon team.
- I go to check in and they tell me I don't actually arrive until tomorrow, which I find rather comical seeing as how my mere presence proves them incorrect. This would prove not to be the last of the hotel bumblings.
- I decided to actually go to preview day rather than wait 3 hours for everyone at the hotel. I kinda wished I'd just waited, as even Preview Day was packed. I was sad.
- The hotel told me they were going to charge me $15 if I wanted to park in their parking lot. I hear that parking on the street right outside the parking lot, however, is free. I'm going with that plan.
- Greg was able to use the words "dongle" and "weewee" in sentences without having either of them refer to a penis in any way, or so he claims.
- After preview day ended we all walked to Seaport Village for eats. The problem with that plan is the majority of Seaport Village closes their grills at 9:45. We got there at 9:48. So the folks decided that hot dogs were the best idea at the time. Greg and I, however, opt for the In N' Out approach. We win.
- Seaport Village at night still kicks ass! What am I talking about...Seaport Village any time of day kicks ass! San Diego kicks ass! *Contemplates not coming back home and quitting work...*
- As soon as I get to the hotel and walk in the lobby, sixteen 16-year olds walk out of the elevator and attempt to count off to 16 to take roll - a task that turns out to be significantly more difficult than what it ought be. Evidently girl #14 was running late but it took them three times of counting up to 13 before they finally realized that A) 15 does NOT come directly after 13 and B) 14 was missing. Evidently it' a girl's club soccer team, not an Academic Decathalon team.
- I go to check in and they tell me I don't actually arrive until tomorrow, which I find rather comical seeing as how my mere presence proves them incorrect. This would prove not to be the last of the hotel bumblings.
- I decided to actually go to preview day rather than wait 3 hours for everyone at the hotel. I kinda wished I'd just waited, as even Preview Day was packed. I was sad.
- The hotel told me they were going to charge me $15 if I wanted to park in their parking lot. I hear that parking on the street right outside the parking lot, however, is free. I'm going with that plan.
- Greg was able to use the words "dongle" and "weewee" in sentences without having either of them refer to a penis in any way, or so he claims.
- After preview day ended we all walked to Seaport Village for eats. The problem with that plan is the majority of Seaport Village closes their grills at 9:45. We got there at 9:48. So the folks decided that hot dogs were the best idea at the time. Greg and I, however, opt for the In N' Out approach. We win.
- Seaport Village at night still kicks ass! What am I talking about...Seaport Village any time of day kicks ass! San Diego kicks ass! *Contemplates not coming back home and quitting work...*
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
And with that, I'm off
Time to head to San Diego. I'll post from there if I can and, of course, bring back more pics! :-)
Monday, July 17, 2006
Sometimes you get the tiger...
...and sometimes the tiger gets you. Last week I felt like the tiger caught me, mauled me, skinned me, ripped my limbs off, beat my torso with them, then devoured me. Reviews are due. A new sales database is set to roll out to the staff. Other projects are going on. I'm prepping to leave for San Diego. Oh yeah, plus my team has their normal needs I should be attending to. I've been pulling long weeks for a while now and hadn't had a weekend for just relaxing/fun in too long.
I should have done some work this weekend, but the thought of such activity made me cringe for fear of Le Tigre. So, I said to myself, "F it. F work. I'm having fun."
Cheesecake Factory and a bad movie with a lovely lady for lunch; boxing matches and drinks with an old friend for dinner; and games and movies all day long on Sunday, just chillin'.
Take that, tiger. Take that.
And yes, I'm posting at work and I don't care (one final thumb towards work before I become productive again).
I should have done some work this weekend, but the thought of such activity made me cringe for fear of Le Tigre. So, I said to myself, "F it. F work. I'm having fun."
Cheesecake Factory and a bad movie with a lovely lady for lunch; boxing matches and drinks with an old friend for dinner; and games and movies all day long on Sunday, just chillin'.
Take that, tiger. Take that.
And yes, I'm posting at work and I don't care (one final thumb towards work before I become productive again).
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Making wise choices vs. living in fear
For those that haven't heard it on your local news, there are two serial criminals - one shooter, one rapist, apparently neither of which work together - on sprees in the valley. You can read about it here if you like. What it boils down to is hundreds if not thousands of residents are staying inside or otherwise living in fear because of these two criminals.
Part of me says, "Shame on you!" People die much more frequently in vehicle accidents and in far more random, unpredictable manners than with these two criminals. Why would you just start changing your behaviors and living in fear now?
The other part of me remembers hearing the experiences of a rape victim related in more detail than I ever care to hear again. It remembers how much I hate the act of rape, how disgusting, violating, and vile it is. It thinks of how I would react if it wasn't just me, but my son or daughter that I was with - would I expose them to increased risk factors just on principle? I don't think so.
Gang violence...terrorism...random accidents. These types of things, in my mind, are nothing to be afraid of. To live in fear of them is to be held hostage in your own life. But this rapist guy...I look forward to the day he gets hauled in. And boy, he better pray that the authorities kill him - they're supposed to do so rather efficiently - because heaven forbid an angry husband or an incarcerated murderer gets to him first. Me, on the other hand, I hope he gets castrated by someone setting his testicles on fire.
I know, I know...it's not my place to hand down judgement and punishment, but I just have little compassion for those that do something so terrible.
Part of me says, "Shame on you!" People die much more frequently in vehicle accidents and in far more random, unpredictable manners than with these two criminals. Why would you just start changing your behaviors and living in fear now?
The other part of me remembers hearing the experiences of a rape victim related in more detail than I ever care to hear again. It remembers how much I hate the act of rape, how disgusting, violating, and vile it is. It thinks of how I would react if it wasn't just me, but my son or daughter that I was with - would I expose them to increased risk factors just on principle? I don't think so.
Gang violence...terrorism...random accidents. These types of things, in my mind, are nothing to be afraid of. To live in fear of them is to be held hostage in your own life. But this rapist guy...I look forward to the day he gets hauled in. And boy, he better pray that the authorities kill him - they're supposed to do so rather efficiently - because heaven forbid an angry husband or an incarcerated murderer gets to him first. Me, on the other hand, I hope he gets castrated by someone setting his testicles on fire.
I know, I know...it's not my place to hand down judgement and punishment, but I just have little compassion for those that do something so terrible.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
About Psoas
Okay, before I let someone massage or otherwise touch a part of me that's likely to trigger a primal emotional mechanism and cause ridiculous pain, I might consider...say, LEAVING? That's not massage, folks. Nope. I don't care what your silly textbook says. Yeah, and if someone tries that on me, right after the blinding pain but pre-tear-filled-emotional release, ima go Marine Corps on their ass, rip their arm off, and jab it through their torso.
But I promise to curl up in a fetal position and feel *reeeeally* bad about it afterwards, though.
But I promise to curl up in a fetal position and feel *reeeeally* bad about it afterwards, though.
AnimeExpo 2006 Pictures
For costumed people and cool statues, click here.
For pics of booths and displays, click here.
For pics of Downtown Disney, click here.
Enjoy!
For pics of booths and displays, click here.
For pics of Downtown Disney, click here.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
A week of firsts
I've been told I need to blog. Fine.
It's occurred to me that this week has been a week of firsts. For the first time in my life, during the past week I've...
- Read and written in French (sort of)
- Grown a goatee
- Seriously ripped a peer of mine for the actions of their charges
- Pointed out logic/coding flaws in a vendor's program...to the vendor (it got changed on the spot)
- Caught a girl checkin' me out full knowing she was checkin' me out
- Been bored watching UFC fights (what a terrible UFC night)
- Started the top two picks of the whole fantasy baseball draft on my team
- Realized just how much I don't like where I sit, and that I really *do* like people being around me in the morning - even if I don't want them to talk to me
Nothing necessarily earth-shattering...just kind of a neat week.
(Yes, pictures from the trip are still coming)
It's occurred to me that this week has been a week of firsts. For the first time in my life, during the past week I've...
- Read and written in French (sort of)
- Grown a goatee
- Seriously ripped a peer of mine for the actions of their charges
- Pointed out logic/coding flaws in a vendor's program...to the vendor (it got changed on the spot)
- Caught a girl checkin' me out full knowing she was checkin' me out
- Been bored watching UFC fights (what a terrible UFC night)
- Started the top two picks of the whole fantasy baseball draft on my team
- Realized just how much I don't like where I sit, and that I really *do* like people being around me in the morning - even if I don't want them to talk to me
Nothing necessarily earth-shattering...just kind of a neat week.
(Yes, pictures from the trip are still coming)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Please See Cashier For Details
As seen above every door of the Flying J truck stop at the Ehrenburg exit on I-10...
I'm not even sure where to begin with this. I'm hoping there's some trucker reason why this would be posted because otherwise it just seems...well...who the hell cares about the threat level? Do they shut down Disney at level Orange? Does everyone just ditch the fueling station and join the trucker militia at level Red?
And the request to "Please see cashier for details"...yeah, in theory, this means they train their cashiers to debrief the public on terrorist threat levels, what those levels mean, and current threats. And somehow I just don't think that's reality considering they could barely type in how much my Mr. Goodbar cost.
I'm not even sure where to begin with this. I'm hoping there's some trucker reason why this would be posted because otherwise it just seems...well...who the hell cares about the threat level? Do they shut down Disney at level Orange? Does everyone just ditch the fueling station and join the trucker militia at level Red?
And the request to "Please see cashier for details"...yeah, in theory, this means they train their cashiers to debrief the public on terrorist threat levels, what those levels mean, and current threats. And somehow I just don't think that's reality considering they could barely type in how much my Mr. Goodbar cost.
I've been working since about 8AM...
and I haven't even left the comfort of my own home! :-) But now it's time to go into the office for a bit. Heheh...still, waking up and watching the rain outside your window from home and working w/free coffee and such is FAR superior than being forced to rush to get ready and fight rush-hour traffic in the morning. I win!
And we're back...
Made it home safely, even through the hecka blowing winds and all - I drove through three dust storms between Indio and the AZ Mile post 1/Erhenburg exit. I've never had to fight the wheel so hard in my life! Saw some cool fireworks (both electric storm type and real type) on the drive home, too.
Pics will be posted later. Gotta actually work now or something.
Pics will be posted later. Gotta actually work now or something.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Day The Last
Booth again, but it's a short day. We've got lots of lurkers at the booth because they want to be here for the raffle (which really isn't necessary since we'll call them if they won, buuuuuuttt, whatever). K, gotta run before I get mobbed. Out at 3...woohoo!
Monday, July 03, 2006
Day 3 Interupted
Okay, take a freakin' shower, people! GHAaaaaAAAA!!!! SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER WITH SOAP EVEN SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER!!!!!
/end rant
/end rant
Day 3
Finally, a full day in the tourney room!
- Buca, as always, was all kinds of good yummy food. Mmm...cheesy garlic bread, mashed potatoes, meatballs, salad, spaghetti....mmmm....
- We actually have participants today, but we knew we would. It's regionals!
- I'll get to hang out w/Sonny tonight so at least I'll have a little bit of home here. The funny thing is I don't normally miss home that much when I'm at conventions (and never miss the weather) but I *really* wish others were here with me. It's just not as fun w/o the friends here. Kinda like the holidays, but not quite as bad.
- Robotech has a CCG now...gonna have to check that out. The cards look too dull, though, and that's a big part of the gaming experience for me.
- Part of me wishes I was good at our game because then I wouldn't feel like an idiot when playing; the other part of me is glad I'm not good because the better I am, the more pissed I would be at these types of thing. I lived that nightmare w/.hack, not gonna do it again.
- Trevor and Jason, this might be my last year of official convention volunteering. You've got me through GenCon Indy for certain. GenCon SoCal and beyond...yeah, not sure.
- Just watched the Transformer movie teaser...nifteh!
- If I come to AnimeExpo in the future I *might* just cosplay my monk, Shade. Might. Would be easy to do.
K, more later.
- Buca, as always, was all kinds of good yummy food. Mmm...cheesy garlic bread, mashed potatoes, meatballs, salad, spaghetti....mmmm....
- We actually have participants today, but we knew we would. It's regionals!
- I'll get to hang out w/Sonny tonight so at least I'll have a little bit of home here. The funny thing is I don't normally miss home that much when I'm at conventions (and never miss the weather) but I *really* wish others were here with me. It's just not as fun w/o the friends here. Kinda like the holidays, but not quite as bad.
- Robotech has a CCG now...gonna have to check that out. The cards look too dull, though, and that's a big part of the gaming experience for me.
- Part of me wishes I was good at our game because then I wouldn't feel like an idiot when playing; the other part of me is glad I'm not good because the better I am, the more pissed I would be at these types of thing. I lived that nightmare w/.hack, not gonna do it again.
- Trevor and Jason, this might be my last year of official convention volunteering. You've got me through GenCon Indy for certain. GenCon SoCal and beyond...yeah, not sure.
- Just watched the Transformer movie teaser...nifteh!
- If I come to AnimeExpo in the future I *might* just cosplay my monk, Shade. Might. Would be easy to do.
K, more later.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Days 1.5 and 2
- I am woken up at 5:00ish last night by security because evidently some of my roommates had a malfunctioning key and couldn't get in the room, nor did they want to knock loudly enough to wake me. When the security guy asked if the folks belonged to me I nearly said "No," but I was kind and let them in. Then Sonny calls at 7:30ish to say he's in town early. So much for sleeping...
- First day tournament attendance = 6 total participatnts. We'll get more today and tomorrow, though.
- Today is my full day at the booth. Full days at the booth suck, but they're a necessary evil. Net connectivity will be slim to none today so you'll get more updates tomorrow.
- Still humid. Double boo.
- First day tournament attendance = 6 total participatnts. We'll get more today and tomorrow, though.
- Today is my full day at the booth. Full days at the booth suck, but they're a necessary evil. Net connectivity will be slim to none today so you'll get more updates tomorrow.
- Still humid. Double boo.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Days 0 and 1
Got to Cali safely, albeit slowly (not happy about that).
Notes so far...
- This is the only time I've ever driven in/through Cali on open, non-rush hour highways that people *weren't* going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit. Driving slow in Cali FTW???
- We're on the 12th floor of the 14-floor Hilton. Good for the view (which, by the way, is absolutely perfect for the Disneyland evening fireworks...will get some great pictures!); terrible for elevator traffic w/no air circulation.
- Jared Arthur and friends showed up at about 1:30 AM, waking me up to come in the room. I'm thrilled that "and friends" showed up because it looks like a few of our other vols might not. Sadly I still have to refer to them as "and friends" because I don't know their names yet.
- There should be a rule that you *can't* cosplay Aerith if you weigh more than 150 lbs, and you *shouldn't* cosplay her if you weigh more than 130. She was rather slight of build - to see her buff or hefty just looks weird.
- Our first tournament was supposed to start at 2:00 PM. The computer clock says 2:10 PM right now. Not a soul is here but me in our tournament room. Sad days. It's the first day, though...they'll show up.
- Yesterday went to the ESPN Zone after arriving, got their Black and Blue burger with a baked potato and a Newcastle...yum!!!
- It's mad humid here! Much worse than in years past.
K, more later as I'm able.
Notes so far...
- This is the only time I've ever driven in/through Cali on open, non-rush hour highways that people *weren't* going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit. Driving slow in Cali FTW???
- We're on the 12th floor of the 14-floor Hilton. Good for the view (which, by the way, is absolutely perfect for the Disneyland evening fireworks...will get some great pictures!); terrible for elevator traffic w/no air circulation.
- Jared Arthur and friends showed up at about 1:30 AM, waking me up to come in the room. I'm thrilled that "and friends" showed up because it looks like a few of our other vols might not. Sadly I still have to refer to them as "and friends" because I don't know their names yet.
- There should be a rule that you *can't* cosplay Aerith if you weigh more than 150 lbs, and you *shouldn't* cosplay her if you weigh more than 130. She was rather slight of build - to see her buff or hefty just looks weird.
- Our first tournament was supposed to start at 2:00 PM. The computer clock says 2:10 PM right now. Not a soul is here but me in our tournament room. Sad days. It's the first day, though...they'll show up.
- Yesterday went to the ESPN Zone after arriving, got their Black and Blue burger with a baked potato and a Newcastle...yum!!!
- It's mad humid here! Much worse than in years past.
K, more later as I'm able.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Time for a show
Well, it's time to head off to AnimeExpo. For those that are going, I'll see you there. For those that aren't...well, I'll see you back on 7/5. Feel free to buzz me on AIM if you've got my screen name since the messages will still go to my phone. I'll be sure to take pics so some of you can finally see what a real show is like (GTS is nothing compared to this). I'll miss ya!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
10 things you might not have known
Okay, if Bojo is doing it then it *MUST* be cool!
1. I could read at a 2nd grade level prior to entering kindergarten and my parents didn't know it. I watched the same episode of Sesame Street three times a day which eventually went through all the phonograms and taught me to sound out words. Three year old logic: "If a big yellow bird that's taller than you are says it's a good idea to sound out words along with a giant brown mammal, you listen." I got sent to the principal's office the first day of school when my teacher found out, then later that week I was whisked away to the Ohio State University Psych. dept. to be analyzed and tested by various child psychologists and psychometrists - they wanted to see if I belonged in some special school. I don't know what my IQ tested at but it wouldn't have mattered if I somehow managed a score of 413. My parents were pretty not well to do and public school was very much my fate. For the most part that worked out for the best.
2. I have trouble asking for help. It's not out of pride - frankly, if I cared all that much about what others thought I wouldn't have survived high school. I was, am, and ever will be a dork. It's more that I know others have troubles of their own and I value self-sufficiency professionally, so to ask others to help shoulder my burden means I'm just adding to theirs which seems decidedly unfair. Strangely...
3. I'll typically put down whatever I'm doing and help you when I'm needed, particularly at work. If my peers are behind on something I'll become a freakin' Ironman triathlete He-Man and go at whatever needs done until it's finished. Of course my work tends to get left behind, but whatever. This probably comes from the homefront - having and living with a disabled father, my work gets set aside to take care of him when the need arises (an almost daily basis at the moment, but this will change in some months).
4. One of the best gifts anyone could give ever me is their presence. Time spent together. I firmly believe that we make time to do the things we really want done or be with who we really want to be with. That's not to say that we all prefer work more than family (although some do), but that there are two places you can look at a person's life and find out what's actually most important to them - their check register, and their life outside of work. Where a person's money and time go, so goes their heart, and unlike money, we have a finite, non-renewable supply of heartbeats and minutes on this earth which makes it far more valuable. The fact that someone would choose to spend some of those minutes and moments with me is a wonderful gift indeed.
5. I'm an author of sorts. Many of you know I write various non-fiction articles, but only a few of you know I also write short stories and poetry, concept novels, and have collaborated with other amateur writers. I've written about the wonders of a little boy, Stephen, and his family as they watch him play and discover; Alexander, a vampire from the Crusades; dancing ballerinas; a guy that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks; and other, less tame subjects. Typically the stories are written for specific individuals and as such aren't fit for publishing so no, you can't see them. They were gifts for someone else.
6. I dont' know what I want to do for a living. Beyond that, I don't know that it even matters what I do. I'm not nearly as concerned about what I do for a living, or in life in general, as much as who I do it with. I've been in awful occupational conditions as well as conditions superb, but both were enjoyable because of the people there with me. Hell, the place I work now can be a grinder, but I go in every day because there are folks there that I very much love and care about. They help make the rough days survivable. So does beer.
7. I love water that is there naturally...rain, streams, rivers, oceans....that kind of thing. Leaving California is sooooo hard because of the ocean, and that's part of the reason ComicCon is such a difficult show for me since the water is RIGHT THERE but I'm stuck inside. For my lunches (assuming I get one) I typically just get a pretzel and go outside and sit by the water for an hour. I'm just more relaxed, more open, like I feel more at home. One day...yup, one day that little place by the water will be mine. One day.
8. I've never taken Biology in my life. Ever. I took Chem and Physics in high school and Chem and Astronomy in college. My aunt is a retired biology and chemistry teacher; one day in 6th grade I was reading a book that talked about mitochondria and asked her what they were. I proceeded to get a two hour lesson on microbiology, cellular structure, DNA and RNA, amino acids, protein chains, and the like. I still have the notes in an old memorabelia box and remember just about everything she taught me. That one lesson combined with knowing how to procreate is all I need to know about biology.
9. I'm dyslexic. I didn't know it until a few years ago, though. A psychologist friend of mine noticed some curious spelling and reading errors and on a whim asked if I was dyslexic. "Nope." A couple tests later... "Yup." It's not major and hasn't really handicapped me in life. I'm sure none of my teachers remotely thought to test me because I always did well in school, but it does make sense out of a lot of deviations - I always had a heck of a time in spelling compared to other subjects, my reading speed was significantly slower than most of my peers, my reading comprehension standardized test scores always came back much lower than the other scores, I much prefer columns, articles, and plays to most novels because it takes me so long to read...stuff like that. And yet I'm an English major and taught high school English. Thanks, Mr. Soderman. Thanks for making your curse of a prognostication come true.
10. I sing. I was a scholarshiped singer in college and have won multiple small/local karaoke contests. Keep in mind my college was very small and most competitors at the karaoke contests were enjoying some level of drunkenness at the time so one shouldn't infer the quality of my singing from my experience, but I can definitely carry a tune. Some of my favorite music is acapella versions of pop songs...Goo Goo Dolls, Sarah MacLaughlin...stuff like that.
1. I could read at a 2nd grade level prior to entering kindergarten and my parents didn't know it. I watched the same episode of Sesame Street three times a day which eventually went through all the phonograms and taught me to sound out words. Three year old logic: "If a big yellow bird that's taller than you are says it's a good idea to sound out words along with a giant brown mammal, you listen." I got sent to the principal's office the first day of school when my teacher found out, then later that week I was whisked away to the Ohio State University Psych. dept. to be analyzed and tested by various child psychologists and psychometrists - they wanted to see if I belonged in some special school. I don't know what my IQ tested at but it wouldn't have mattered if I somehow managed a score of 413. My parents were pretty not well to do and public school was very much my fate. For the most part that worked out for the best.
2. I have trouble asking for help. It's not out of pride - frankly, if I cared all that much about what others thought I wouldn't have survived high school. I was, am, and ever will be a dork. It's more that I know others have troubles of their own and I value self-sufficiency professionally, so to ask others to help shoulder my burden means I'm just adding to theirs which seems decidedly unfair. Strangely...
3. I'll typically put down whatever I'm doing and help you when I'm needed, particularly at work. If my peers are behind on something I'll become a freakin' Ironman triathlete He-Man and go at whatever needs done until it's finished. Of course my work tends to get left behind, but whatever. This probably comes from the homefront - having and living with a disabled father, my work gets set aside to take care of him when the need arises (an almost daily basis at the moment, but this will change in some months).
4. One of the best gifts anyone could give ever me is their presence. Time spent together. I firmly believe that we make time to do the things we really want done or be with who we really want to be with. That's not to say that we all prefer work more than family (although some do), but that there are two places you can look at a person's life and find out what's actually most important to them - their check register, and their life outside of work. Where a person's money and time go, so goes their heart, and unlike money, we have a finite, non-renewable supply of heartbeats and minutes on this earth which makes it far more valuable. The fact that someone would choose to spend some of those minutes and moments with me is a wonderful gift indeed.
5. I'm an author of sorts. Many of you know I write various non-fiction articles, but only a few of you know I also write short stories and poetry, concept novels, and have collaborated with other amateur writers. I've written about the wonders of a little boy, Stephen, and his family as they watch him play and discover; Alexander, a vampire from the Crusades; dancing ballerinas; a guy that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks; and other, less tame subjects. Typically the stories are written for specific individuals and as such aren't fit for publishing so no, you can't see them. They were gifts for someone else.
6. I dont' know what I want to do for a living. Beyond that, I don't know that it even matters what I do. I'm not nearly as concerned about what I do for a living, or in life in general, as much as who I do it with. I've been in awful occupational conditions as well as conditions superb, but both were enjoyable because of the people there with me. Hell, the place I work now can be a grinder, but I go in every day because there are folks there that I very much love and care about. They help make the rough days survivable. So does beer.
7. I love water that is there naturally...rain, streams, rivers, oceans....that kind of thing. Leaving California is sooooo hard because of the ocean, and that's part of the reason ComicCon is such a difficult show for me since the water is RIGHT THERE but I'm stuck inside. For my lunches (assuming I get one) I typically just get a pretzel and go outside and sit by the water for an hour. I'm just more relaxed, more open, like I feel more at home. One day...yup, one day that little place by the water will be mine. One day.
8. I've never taken Biology in my life. Ever. I took Chem and Physics in high school and Chem and Astronomy in college. My aunt is a retired biology and chemistry teacher; one day in 6th grade I was reading a book that talked about mitochondria and asked her what they were. I proceeded to get a two hour lesson on microbiology, cellular structure, DNA and RNA, amino acids, protein chains, and the like. I still have the notes in an old memorabelia box and remember just about everything she taught me. That one lesson combined with knowing how to procreate is all I need to know about biology.
9. I'm dyslexic. I didn't know it until a few years ago, though. A psychologist friend of mine noticed some curious spelling and reading errors and on a whim asked if I was dyslexic. "Nope." A couple tests later... "Yup." It's not major and hasn't really handicapped me in life. I'm sure none of my teachers remotely thought to test me because I always did well in school, but it does make sense out of a lot of deviations - I always had a heck of a time in spelling compared to other subjects, my reading speed was significantly slower than most of my peers, my reading comprehension standardized test scores always came back much lower than the other scores, I much prefer columns, articles, and plays to most novels because it takes me so long to read...stuff like that. And yet I'm an English major and taught high school English. Thanks, Mr. Soderman. Thanks for making your curse of a prognostication come true.
10. I sing. I was a scholarshiped singer in college and have won multiple small/local karaoke contests. Keep in mind my college was very small and most competitors at the karaoke contests were enjoying some level of drunkenness at the time so one shouldn't infer the quality of my singing from my experience, but I can definitely carry a tune. Some of my favorite music is acapella versions of pop songs...Goo Goo Dolls, Sarah MacLaughlin...stuff like that.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Vacancy
It's been over two years since my ex left, yet I *still* miss having someone there next to me when I roll over in bed.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Making friends with Vampires
Part of the reason for the non-caffeinated post below, and hence my largely non-caffeinated entire day, was because United Blood Services was on site at work taking donations. I donate when I can but I have pretty low blood pressure and tend to be a caffeine junkie so you combine the two and it doesn't go very well. So I've been drinking all kinds of water all day yesterday and today to help the process and, let me tell you, I'm sick of water. I'm a gamer, dammit! Lack of caffeine in the blood stream would be like being a vegetarian - you might be able to live like that, but it's just not the same. Give me my soda and my chocolate-covered espresso beans!!!
Make a vampire happy. Donate blood. Look up the Red Cross or United Blood Services or any other of the friendly local vampire services in your area. It's essentially painless and effortless, costs you nothing but 30-60 minutes of your life, and it might help save someone else's. Or even your own.
I HAVEN'T EVEN HAD MY COFFEE YET!!!!
Those who have worked or lived with me for any length of time (such as a single day) can generally pretty easily tell I'm not a morning person, and those that have worked with me at hte CU over the years are definitely aware. I've gotten better over the years at masking my disdain for morning but it's still very much alive.
It's 7:54 at work and the day hasn't even started, and one of my peers comes in and starts blurting out, "HI! How is everyone this fine and wonderful Friday morning?!?" blah blah SHUT THE FILTH UP!!!! I'm not much awake, it's not even the start of the day, and I haven't had my coffee yet!
Ugh...morning. Let's get this straight - it's not a good morning until 12:30 PM. It doesn't mean it's not a good day, but "good morning" is a dirty oxymoron.
It's 7:54 at work and the day hasn't even started, and one of my peers comes in and starts blurting out, "HI! How is everyone this fine and wonderful Friday morning?!?" blah blah SHUT THE FILTH UP!!!! I'm not much awake, it's not even the start of the day, and I haven't had my coffee yet!
Ugh...morning. Let's get this straight - it's not a good morning until 12:30 PM. It doesn't mean it's not a good day, but "good morning" is a dirty oxymoron.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Enter the Night...
June 21st - the summer solstice, and the longest day of the year.
Jun 22nd - the first day that nights start to get longer and longer...
I can't wait until the sun is already set when I close at work. Bring on the night!
Night > Day
Jun 22nd - the first day that nights start to get longer and longer...
I can't wait until the sun is already set when I close at work. Bring on the night!
Night > Day
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Wicked!
I can't wait!
The funny thing is I submitted the winning bid three seconds before the auction closed! Hahaha...BITCHEEESSSSSS!!!!! Of course that also means I probably made an enemy here in the Phoenix but oh well...I'll be safe in the theater watching the show! Unless, of course, that enemy is a decendent of John Wilkes Booth. Eh. I'll take my chances.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Ode to my Nemesis
I was listening to a song the other day and the lyrics instantly sent me back to sixth grade...the first time I met my Nemesis. What a grand day...
In any case, I post them for your enjoyment and understanding.
(Please note, Colleen, that I know longer loath you. Now it's just pleasant contempt, respect, and general fondness. Or something like that. You can cut out that "whole life long" bit.)
What is this feeling so sudden and new
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you?
My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling
My face is flushing, what is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame, does it have a name?
Yeeesss!
Loathing.
Unadulterated loathing
For your face, your voice, your clothing.
Lets just say I loathe it all.
Every little trait however small,
Makes my very flesh begin to crawl,
With simple utter loathing.
Theres a strange exilhiration
In such total detestation.
It's so pure, so strong!
Though i do admit it came on fast,
Still, I do believe that it can last
and i will be loathing,
loathing you my whole life long.
And with a little luck, I'll be going to see this performed live. I'll find out tomorrow afternoon. Cross them fingers!
In any case, I post them for your enjoyment and understanding.
(Please note, Colleen, that I know longer loath you. Now it's just pleasant contempt, respect, and general fondness. Or something like that. You can cut out that "whole life long" bit.)
What is this feeling so sudden and new
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you?
My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling
My face is flushing, what is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame, does it have a name?
Yeeesss!
Loathing.
Unadulterated loathing
For your face, your voice, your clothing.
Lets just say I loathe it all.
Every little trait however small,
Makes my very flesh begin to crawl,
With simple utter loathing.
Theres a strange exilhiration
In such total detestation.
It's so pure, so strong!
Though i do admit it came on fast,
Still, I do believe that it can last
and i will be loathing,
loathing you my whole life long.
And with a little luck, I'll be going to see this performed live. I'll find out tomorrow afternoon. Cross them fingers!
Depression
Stella and a 3" Steak
So we went to the Stockyards Restaurant yesterday - a very good but relatively unknown steakhouse - for dinner. I'd been there twice before for work lunches since it's just a 1/2 mile down the road and their lunches are very reasonable. On their menu I see a 12 oz baseball-cut top sirloin. I like me some sirloin, and the server says it's a circular cut with very little fat - woot! So I get that. Starts with bread, then comes the balsamic vinegarette salad, and then....then I see that they serve Stella Artois there (for those that don't know, it's a European-brewed beer). Now, this place has VERY Western American ambiance and is one of the last places I would have expected to serve Stella but I'm quite pleasantly surprised. So I ask for a Stella with my dinner.
Just a few minutes later, here comes my Stella and my steak...which had to be butterflied in order to cook it medium-well since otherwise it would have been a 3" spheroid!!! WTH??? It looked like someone would have taken a big ol' ice cream scooper to cut this thing! Baseball cut...no wonder. They weren't kiddin'.
Mmmm...Stella and a steak and potatoes....goooood!
And then we topped it off with white and dark chocolate mousse with raspberries.
I might not need to eat again until tonight at dinner. Still rather full.
Just a few minutes later, here comes my Stella and my steak...which had to be butterflied in order to cook it medium-well since otherwise it would have been a 3" spheroid!!! WTH??? It looked like someone would have taken a big ol' ice cream scooper to cut this thing! Baseball cut...no wonder. They weren't kiddin'.
Mmmm...Stella and a steak and potatoes....goooood!
And then we topped it off with white and dark chocolate mousse with raspberries.
I might not need to eat again until tonight at dinner. Still rather full.
Happy Father's Day!
Trevor, Mark, Bojo, Kirk, and all the others that might happen to glance at this whom it applies to...
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Evidence of things unseen
There are things out there that we can't see. You can agree or disagree as you like, but it's true. Sometimes we just know they're there without much real explanation. Other times we have evidence of things unseen. Case in point - the wind.
You can't really see the wind, but we know it's there. It makes flags wave, spins windmills, creates ocean waves, and in Arizona it creates the phenomenon known as the haboob - a giant wall of dust that moves across a region. If you've seen Stargate (and I know many of you have), the storm that sweeps over the desert town is ushered in with a haboob. For those that haven't, or simply forgot what it was...
In any case, today a storm swept up from the south across the valley which is rather odd for this time of year...normally such things don't really start to occurr until mid-summer. In any case, I had just walked out of work and sat in my car when I saw the wall of dust just south of South Mountain (gee, where's that name come from?). Five minutes later, the mountain had been completely shrouded in dust and flying earth. It was almost surreal getting to watch the dust crawl down the folds in the mountain then spread out like fog...I'd never stared at the wall head on (normally you just kinda get hit with it or find yourself in the middle of one) and the mountain takeover was downright nifty to watch. But the dust and dirt didn't move itself, that's for sure. Only that which is unseen could create such a force that makes mountains disappear.
You can't really see the wind, but we know it's there. It makes flags wave, spins windmills, creates ocean waves, and in Arizona it creates the phenomenon known as the haboob - a giant wall of dust that moves across a region. If you've seen Stargate (and I know many of you have), the storm that sweeps over the desert town is ushered in with a haboob. For those that haven't, or simply forgot what it was...In any case, today a storm swept up from the south across the valley which is rather odd for this time of year...normally such things don't really start to occurr until mid-summer. In any case, I had just walked out of work and sat in my car when I saw the wall of dust just south of South Mountain (gee, where's that name come from?). Five minutes later, the mountain had been completely shrouded in dust and flying earth. It was almost surreal getting to watch the dust crawl down the folds in the mountain then spread out like fog...I'd never stared at the wall head on (normally you just kinda get hit with it or find yourself in the middle of one) and the mountain takeover was downright nifty to watch. But the dust and dirt didn't move itself, that's for sure. Only that which is unseen could create such a force that makes mountains disappear.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
A new position was created at work - Project Analyst - that would be a feeder into Business Analysis and Project Management. I was looking at openings for a friend of mine when I saw the posting and was intrigued. I've seen what the analysts and managers at my company do and, in my not so humble opinion, with a little time and practice I could blow half of them away and hang with the rest. But to post out would mean to leave the team I took over just a few weeks ago...I took my previous team from worst to first in about 8 months and I intended to turn this team around as well. They're also probably going to be adding a manager to our department in the next year or two that I would be a prime candidate for (assuming I did well with this team which isn't such a huge assumption).
The problem is the acceleration of my career at the credit union. I've held four positions in 27 months there. That's not terrible since each was a promtion save for the most recent lateral move, but this would be a complete change in career path, and, politically speaking, a permanent one as far as my company is concerned. So do I stick it out where I'm at and go for the position that will be added in a year or two, or do I go where the opportunity for promotion will come sooner but likely dead end after that?
I decided to stay. I have unfinished business with my team and I don't feel comfortable leaving them in our current state. Besides that, there are people in my department, both peers and subordinates, that I've known for almost nine years and I'm not ready to leave them yet. We work well together, and that commeraderie and the relationships aren't easy to find or build. I still enjoy what I do, and I enjoy who I do it with (insert mom joke here). You can't hope for much better than that (insert another mom joke here) as far as work goes.
The problem is the acceleration of my career at the credit union. I've held four positions in 27 months there. That's not terrible since each was a promtion save for the most recent lateral move, but this would be a complete change in career path, and, politically speaking, a permanent one as far as my company is concerned. So do I stick it out where I'm at and go for the position that will be added in a year or two, or do I go where the opportunity for promotion will come sooner but likely dead end after that?
I decided to stay. I have unfinished business with my team and I don't feel comfortable leaving them in our current state. Besides that, there are people in my department, both peers and subordinates, that I've known for almost nine years and I'm not ready to leave them yet. We work well together, and that commeraderie and the relationships aren't easy to find or build. I still enjoy what I do, and I enjoy who I do it with (insert mom joke here). You can't hope for much better than that (insert another mom joke here) as far as work goes.
Baseball news
*hands Trevor a dustpan*
Hey Trevor, you wanna help us sweep up out there? Man, we handed you an L four games in a row at your park??? Wow. Sorry you had to go through that. But not really.
Of course Pujols going on the DL (crap...I really wanted to see if he could bust one of the records this year) doesn't help my fantasy team any so maybe Hobbiton has a chance to get back in it.
And this just in from Joe Morgan - a quote from his Sunday evening baseball broadcast of the Angels at Clevelend: "The 2nd Baseman's responsibility is 2nd base." I'm SO glad he gets paid for dropping such insightful nuggets of wisdom on us. I wonder if he's figured out yet that Who is on first.
Hey Trevor, you wanna help us sweep up out there? Man, we handed you an L four games in a row at your park??? Wow. Sorry you had to go through that. But not really.
Of course Pujols going on the DL (crap...I really wanted to see if he could bust one of the records this year) doesn't help my fantasy team any so maybe Hobbiton has a chance to get back in it.
And this just in from Joe Morgan - a quote from his Sunday evening baseball broadcast of the Angels at Clevelend: "The 2nd Baseman's responsibility is 2nd base." I'm SO glad he gets paid for dropping such insightful nuggets of wisdom on us. I wonder if he's figured out yet that Who is on first.
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