The Blog Journal of Indecisiveness

2010-09-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

Reboot

2010-08-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've recently made some fairly significant changes in my life - relocating to another state, taking a different job, etc. - so I've got plenty of new things going on to talk about. I oughtta talk about 'em.

Crystal took a job with a new company in Maryland so we left Florida and came up North near my family, to Forest Hill just outside Baltimore. My older brother Mike is nearby which is awesome and the rest of my family isn't too far away in Cumberland. I haven't had a chance to get out that way just yet since money has been pretty tight after the move. Crystal makes more money, but I've had no luck finding work in engineering or surveying just yet and have had to take a sales position at Sears.

All in all, things are going well and we're getting ourselves established. Pretty soon I hope to have something to talk about.

A story in my head

2009-12-03T19:31:00.001-08:00

Once I wiped shit on my brother Mike's arm. I remember it well, but Mike doesn't seem to recall this incident at all. Possibly he's repressed the memory much like vicitms of severe trauma. The horror blocked from their memory to help salvage their sanity.

I don't remember exactly how we were when it happened. We must have been about 7 years old and 9 years old because it happened while we were living on the West Virginia farm of Tom, my mother's boyfriend at the time. He would also be the father of my brother, Josh, but this story takes place before.

I remember I was sitting on the toilet on the second floor of the main farmhouse. It was a bright warm day in Springfield. I can't recollect anything particularly signifigant about this bathroom break so I guess I'd have to say things were going swimmingly. For whatever reason though, my older Mike felt the need to interact with me while he had me as a captive audience so to speak.

He ran into the bathroom jogging around like he was in the middle of an aerobics routine. At first I didn't pay much mind to him hopping around, but then I quickly realized he wasn't going let that happen.

All these years later I don't remember exactly how it started or what was first said. I do remember exactly how it ended. Mike decided he was gonna poke at me while I defenseless as I was sitting on the toilet. That's how it started.

"You better not touch me!" I said.

"You're not gonna do anything," he said.

That's when I was hit with a stroke of genius. I wasn't defenseless. In fact, I was quite possibly in posession of the greatest defense in the known civilized world: my own crap.

"I'll wipe shit on you,"

"No you won't! You wouldn't dare!"

The paper was already loaded and in my hand, held like a grrenade ready to be tossed into a foxhole.

"I'll do it,"

We both stopped for a second and had an old fashioned stare down like a Sergio Leone western. Then... he called my bluff.

Mike was fast. He moved in to strike. His arm came in to jab me, but this time I was faster. I slapped the toilet paper right on his forearm. Mike retracted his arm as quick as he had put it out there only when he brought it back he had my crap covered toilet paper stuck to it. The look of fear was visible in his eyes as he waved hid arm in the air trying to shake it off. It wasn't coming off, it was stuck on solid. He swung his arm around like someone whose arm was on fire. The paper flapped in the air like a white flame. He ran out of the bathroom screaming still trying to shake off vicious leach. Victory. It's these small victories that a younger brother has to relish against an older brother.

I was still thoroughly enjoying my successful defense strategy when I would find out I wouldn't get away so easy. I was told I had to go see Tom.

Tom was out near one of the barns working on an old tractor out in the sun. I walked up to him and waited to find out what was going to happen next for what I had done. He looked down at me and said, "So... I hear you like to wipe shit on people!"

I didn't say anything.

"Maybe you need to be put to work," I ended up holding a hub cap full of screws and bolts the rest of the day while Tom worked on his tractor. I was punished, but it was totally worth it.

Victory!

Guitar Hero on Turkey Day

2009-11-26T14:39:00.001-08:00

Food was awesome. Watched some football. Played some Wii.

From da phone

2009-11-26T14:25:00.001-08:00

This is a test, son.

New Blog Posts

2009-11-26T14:13:00.000-08:00

I've gotten so into updating my Facebook and MySpace from my phone that I thought I'd look into blogging from my phone also, and it turns out I can. So, I'm gonna give it a whirl. See what shakes out. See how much change is under the cushions.

Jizz'd in my pants

2008-12-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

I'm worst blogger ever

2008-11-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

I blog about every three weeks it seems. I gotta get on the ball, man.

I've had this thing for years now and it must be the most random and scattershot collection of thoughts ever compiled. I know in the beginning none of it was serious. It was a complete joke for my own amusement, just a time killer. Then somewhere in the middle I tried to tell stories from my past and after that I tried to just document everday life. Then I quit for about a year.

Now I'm just getting back into the swing of things again. I plan on getting back to the familiar form I use to bring. More structure and photographs, possibly YouTube posts once more.

NCAAF: Maryland really let me down when they just rolled over and died for Florida State, but whats new there, right?

NCAAB: Terps, don't let me down. I know you will but I'm asking you not to.

NBA: The Mavs are 7-7 so far. I'm losing any emotional attachment this year with them.

NFL: The Ravens put the entire Eagles' season and Donovan McNabb's career in jeopardy by laying down an all-star Baltimore beatin' on those Philly cheese steak suckin' maroons. With a rookie QB and a first-year head coach, 7-4 is looking pretty good and there's chance for the playoffs this season.

As far as work goes, I plan to dive into all that here shortly.

Sports: keep hope alive

2008-11-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday I was already prepared to write-off the Terps' season after there game with UNC, but Maryland put together a final drive in the 4th quarter to take the lead and win the game.

Next is Florida State who lost this weekend to Boston College in Tallahassee. I think the Terps can do this thing if they decide not to be their own worst enemy and phone it in, as they can sometimes do. Chris Turner our QB can be a spaz and looks like Napolean Dynamite, but he can be great at times. If you play good next week, Chris Turner, I'll catch you a delicious bass.

Got a new job

2008-11-13T16:54:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I had all this time on my hands after getting let go from my job, I have a new one. I gotta be honest: being home for a month was not that bad.

Now it's back to CAD. I working at a company that does commercial signs for businesses. I do the fabrication drawings for the shop workers who actually build them. It's completely different from the civil engineering and survey CAD work I was doing for the last 4 years, but it's a nice change of pace.

NFL: Joe Flacco is my homeboy. The Raven's are 6-3 and still in this thing. They've got the Giants this Sunday and even though New York should be able to win this one, I think Baltimore is in a good spot to get the upset this week.

NCAAF: Maryland went down to Virginia Tech and laid an egg and then the Hokies picked it up and smashed in the Terps' faces. North Carolina next. Florida State too... sigh.

NBA: The Mavs can't finish games. They're starting this season 4-2. Maybe Avery Johnson wasn't the problem in Dallas. Huh, Mark Cuban?

I just got a Nintendo Wii. I've been playing with my Wii a lot. My hands and arms are so sore from playing with my Wii. I've been working up a sweat I've been playing with my Wii so much. That's enough Wii jokes.

Wednesday, November 4th, 2008

2008-11-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

Being unemployed is very weird. I never truly realized what a creature of habit I am until now. Not having a job to wake up for Monday through Friday has completely changed my sleep patterns or I should say I stay up until ungodly hours watching the most asinine programming. Whats funny about it is the fact that it's not a product of lament or sadness... just of unoccupation. Nothing about my mood has changed in my estimation, it's like being 13 and on summer vacation again only I'm not 13, I'm 27 and I don't know how to be on summer vacation anymore. If you could go back in time and tell the 13 year old me that he'd probably spontaneously explode from the mere pondering of the notion. I know I'm shocked by it now.

But as I sit here collecting unemployment for the first time in my relativley short life I take pleasure in the simplest of things.

My marriage is like granite rock. We've only been together less than 7 years but have already faced a lifetimes worth of adversity. Health. Death. Finance. Nothing has ever shaken our commitment to one another, if anything it's always seemed to bring us closer together when we've made it through to the other side. And at this point, having done it so many times already, I can tell that we both know we will be fine when these things arise again and we have to push through them again. I'm very grateful for that.

I have to also say I never knew what a sports fan I was until I had nothing to do but watch SportsCenter. I'm more interested in College Football, the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball than at any other time in my life. I actually watched every game of the World Series which I have to say probably wasn't worth the time invested.

Something I really didn't invest any time into lately was the Presidential Election since I was just waiting for it to end. Every day when I walk out to my mailbox I have to throw away countless "vote early" and "vote your values" cards. Then I have to erase three or four automated calls on my answering machine from the Governor urging me to vote on election day. No more. Thank God. And I didn't even vote! Thought about it... for a few seconds.

Either way I couldn't say that the historical significance wasn't lost one me last night when I was watching the NBC news and they unveiled an enormous graphic stating "President Obama". I was really surprised at the shock I still had when first seeing it. I had already come to the conclusion that Barack Obama was probably going to win days ago, but I guess believing it and actually seeing it are two different things. It was amazing and probably one of the most powerful moments in our country's history to occur during my lifetime. I thought about that for quite a while last night. I thought that was cool.

I really had no investment in either McCain or Obama and felt that one was as good as the other, and so I'm still just glad the entire thing is over.

As for other things on my mind, I'm sure I'll think of a way of organizing those thoughts at a later date in the future. Right now I've got to check out what's on ESPN.

Up, up and away!

2008-10-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of the NFL season, my Baltimore Ravens are 4-3.

The Maryland Terrapins are 6-2 in the ACC.

The World Series has been bizzare to say the least and since the Orioles have been sad for quite some time I've been looking at Tampa Bay as my fall-back team this year in the playoffs. They're down 3 games to 1 to the Phillies, but as this thing has played out so far... anything is still possible.

And the NBA is getting under way and the Dallas Mavericks play on Thursday.

So... getting laid-off at the end of October has given me plenty of free time to watch SportsCenter and somehow get back into sports(I've even been watching soccer!).

I'm not really sure what I'm writing about, but I somehow feel like writing again. We'll see what happens.

Appetite for Destruction

2007-07-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

Man, work was something this week or at least the second half of this week was. I had a lot of very large issues to deal with concerning more than one of our larger clients, and after jumping through all the hoops and putting in the long days it seems to have paid off for everyone. So I'm looking forward to weekend, it feels earned.

A few of the guys at work thought we should do a guys' night out this weekend. The plan is to go to Club La Vela out on the beach and see a Guns N Roses cover band tomorrow night. One of my co-workers has apparently seen these guys before and said they were worth going to see and since it's not much to get into La Vela, that's the plan for Saturday. All the guys spoke to their wives and it would seem that we've all got our signed permission slips from home to go on the trip.

Sweet.

Kodak moment

2007-07-17T16:26:00.001-07:00

I need to start carrying my camera with me at all times again. I haven't taken a decent photograph in forever. Soon I will reduced to taking snapshots of myself solemnly brushing my hair. Lame.

Work has been pretty sweet lately. I went from having my own office in a shitty building to having my own cubicle in a brand new three-story complex, so that's a trade I can feel like I broke even on.

My book on Gunther Howell, the first person to die at Disney World, is in the rewriting phase and my editor, Jill, feels confident that we've got a winner on our hands.

Also, I've taken up a new hobby. Auctioneering.

Too damn hot

2007-07-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

No, not me. This apartment. This damn sweatbox in the middle of July. The air conditioner decided to die last night.

Every door and window is open, every fan is turning. But the it's not enough, not in this heat. I'm melting like a snow man in Spring. The maintenance people were suppose to show up yesterday, but still haven't arrived.

Until they do I'm going to continue to sit here in front of my ocillating friend and drink my iced tea.

Fake Grape

2007-07-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

I hate grape soda. I hate orange soda too. While I'm at it let me also add that I despise watermelon jolly ranchers and banana Runts. I have a genuine dislike and in some instances, an unabashed hatred for these faux flavors.

Grape soda in no way, shape or form, replicates the flavor of grapes - red, green, or I suppose in this case, purple.

Orange soda - who would want orange juice in a carbonated beverage to start with? No.

Watermelon. Watermelon tastes mostly like water anyway.

Banana flavored candy should just be called 'yellow flavored' because I imagine that's what yellow must taste like since bananas sure as Hell don't.

I'm done ranting.

Death and Hot Dogs

2007-07-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

I posted this video on YouTube and a few of my friends thought I was gonna kill myself.

No, sorry to disappoint. It was only a joke.

USA! USA! USA!

2007-07-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

On the fourth of July, 2007, competitive eater Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest, upsetting six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi. In the process, Joey set a new world hot dog eating record with 66 weiners in a mere twelve minutes.

So, after six long years of darkness the mustard yellow belt has finally come back to the United States of America. No longer do we have to hang our heads in shame or listen to the sickening laughter of Europe and Asia in our plump red, white and blue ears.

Why? Because we did it! We did what no one thought could be done. They said we had reached our limit. That we had reached maximum density. We heard the naysayers and the critics and the dieticians and we said SCREW YOU, PAL! We never gave up, we never got on that treadmill of defeat. We never ordered that salad of surrender. We rolled up our sleeves, wiped the thickening gel-like sweat from our brows and reached for that next weiner. The weiner of victory!

Thank you, Joey Chestnut. For restoring our nation's pride in itself. For bringing back the mustard yellow belt. It almost makes me forget about 9/11.

Meandering In Again

2007-07-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

I walk out and walk back in sometimes and don't know why except to say that I know that I do it, and that it's a part of being me. One more time?

I wish I could be like I am right now all the time - like water in a glass, sitting on a table in an empty room. Still as silence and without a ripple of excitement inside to disturb me. But that's not who I am, at least not at a constant. Tomorrow I may still be that glass of water, or that babbling brook that wanders through the woods looking to find a way out toward the ocean. I'd like to make it to the ocean. But sometimes I like being in the wilderness too.

I must be bipolar.

CAD Meeting

2007-01-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

We had a CAD Meeting today at work for all the CAD Techs in the company to talk about the new software. Even amongst CAD Techs it seems that the Survey Dept. is odd man out. We didn't discuss a single issue that our Dept. has and the entire time was spent talking about civil and engineering bullsh*t.

I wasn't having a single issue, unlike almost everyone else, so I doubt I'll be bothering with another one of these meetings. I hate office politics.

Rehdogg - Why Must I Cry

2007-01-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

The end of the year

2006-12-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas is now past and it was a good holiday. I think my wife and I got the most expensive bag of gifts we've ever had since being married. I have movies to watch until the end of the time.

My back is feeling better slowly, so that's another good thing. Been seeing more of my family, going to my Dad's, talking to my brother, Josh.

Kind of slow lazy short week at work right now.

I'm gonna have to post something more in the way of original material than just these update posts as of late. I think New Year's will bring me some inspiration.

Wednesday

2006-12-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

Work has been pretty damn uneventful. Spent most of the day trying to quench my recent thirst for job-related knowledge by actually going into some of my fellow employees' offices adn reading books on their shelves. Some CAD Drafting material, but mostly Land Surveying subject matter like three-wire level notes and other such things.

I've been getting a lot of praise for my job performance lately. I find it kind of strange since I'm probably in one of my lowest levels of work volume that I can think of in quite a while. I think it has more to do with the fact that we've had several longtime employees leave and go elsewhere, and I've been given their workloads. But it really turned out to be almost nothing. Kind of strange really. Plus we've been given new software and I've been told I'm one of the few not to complain about it or struggle. I attribute this versatility and adaptability on my gaming skills and youthful mind. Most of my colleagues are near my father's age and seem to have a healthy disdain for anything involving "change".

Other than that, my back has been killing me since we've moved into our new Apt. and it's turning me into an angry person (I've got to do something about it soon). I've always ignored pain, but this is some real ridiculous stuff, it has to be a pinched nerve or a herniated thingamajig, know what I'm sayin'?

Later.

Driving in the Sunshine State

2006-12-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

I found out during a conversation with someone why Florida drivers are the worst that I've ever encountered.

I told him that I took Driver's Ed in Maryland, and that I moved to Florida before taking the Driver's Exam, and how surprised I was when a large amount of what I had been learning and practicing wasn't on the Exam in Florida. I also mentioned that the actual Driving test I went on was a joke and that we weren't out for more than ten minutes before we were back at the DMV and getting my picture taken for my license (I didn't even have to parallel park!).

That's when he told me that he never had to take an actual driving test to get his license because he took Drivers Ed in high school in Florida, all he had to do was go down to the DMV and get his license.

Now I know why this town is full of people who don't know what the f*ck they're doing on the road.

Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums

2006-12-08T17:54:00.000-08:00

At my office I have a friend who's a bit of an eccentric (he's an engineer, what should I expect?), and in his office he has a portable hard drive on his desk. I asked what it was about and he told me he got the hook up from a buddy and that he had Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500 Albums of All-Time on it. I'm not sure where he got it or who compiled it, but I brought it home and he wasn't lying. In their listed ordered they're on the hard drive in their complete entireties. Now a critic's list of the top 500 albums is obsiously going to have a bunch of choices on it that are kind of unappealing to the average music listener, but I find most of the albums on the list to be good stuff. I don't think I would have listed certain albums where they are on the list, but that's how it goes with every list.

After 30 minutes of download time I have them all on my PC. Here's the list. It takes up 39 GB of memory.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
3. Revolver, The Beatles
4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
8. London Calling, The Clash
9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles
11. The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley
12. Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
13. Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
14. Abbey Road, The Beatles
15. Are You Experienced?, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
16. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
17. Nevermind, Nirvana
18. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
19. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison
20. Thriller, Michael Jackson
21. The Great Twenty-Eight, Chuck Berry
22. Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon
23. Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
24. Live at the Apollo (1963), James Brown
25. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
26. The Joshua Tree, U2
27. King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 1, Robert Johnson
28. Who's Next, The Who
29. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
30. Blue, Joni Mitchell
31. Bringing It All Back Home, Bob Dylan
32. Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones
33. Ramones, Ramones
34. Music From Big Pink, The Band
35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
36. Tapestry, Carole King
37. Hotel California, The Eagles
38. The Anthology, 1947 - 1972, Muddy Waters
39. Please Please Me, The Beatles
40. Forever Changes, Love
41. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols
42. The Doors, The Doors
43. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
44. Horses, Patti Smith
45. The Band, The Band
46. Legend, Bob Marley and the Wailers
47. A Love Supreme, John Coltrane
48. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
49. At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band
50. Here's Little Richard, Little Richard
51. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel
52. Greatest Hits, Al Green
53. The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings, 1952 - 1959, Ray Charles
54. Electric Ladyland, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
55. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
56. Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
57. Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones
58. Trout Mask Replica, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
59. Meet the Beatles, The Beatles
60. Greatest Hits, Sly and the Family Stone
61. Appetite for Destruction, Guns n' Roses
62. Achtung Baby, U2
63. Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones
64. Phil Spector, Back to Mono (1958 - 1969), Various Artists
65. Moondance, Van Morrison
66. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
67. The Stranger, Billy Joel
68. Off the Wall, Michael Jackson
69. Superfly, Curtis Mayfield
70. Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin
71. After the Gold Rush, Neil Young
72. Purple Rain, Prince
73. Back in Black, AC/DC
74. Otis Blue, Otis Redding
75. Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin
76. Imagine, John Lennon
77. The Clash, The Clash
78. Harvest, Neil Young
79. Star Time, James Brown
80. Odessey and Oracle, The Zombies
81. Graceland, Paul Simon
82. Axis: Bold as Love, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
83. I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Franklin
84. Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin
85. Born in the U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen
86. Let It Be, The Beatles
87. The Wall, Pink Floyd
88. At Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash
89. Dusty in Memphis, Dusty Springfield
90. Talking Book, Stevie Wonder
91. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
92. 20 Golden Greats, Buddy Holly
93. Sign 'o' the Times, Prince
94. Bitches Brew, Miles Davis
95. Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival
96. Tommy, The Who
97. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan
98. This Year's Model, Elvis Costello
99. There's a Riot Goin' On, Sly and the Family Stone
100. In the Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra
101. Fresh Cream, Cream
102. Giant Steps, John Coltrane
103. Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
104. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Ray Charles
105. Rocket to Russia, Ramones
106. Portrait of a Legend 1951 - 1964, Sam Cooke
107. Hunky Dory, David Bowie
108. Aftermath, The Rolling Stones
109. Loaded, The Velvet Underground
110. The Bends, Radiohead
111. Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell
112. Disraeli Gears, Cream
113. The Who Sell Out, The Who
114. Out of Our Heads, The Rolling Stones
115. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Derek and the Dominos
116. At Last, Etta James
117. Sweetheart of the Rodeo , The Byrds
118. Stand!, Sly and the Family Stone
119. The Harder They Come Original Soundtrack, Various Artists
120. Raising Hell, Run-DMC
121. Moby Grape, Moby Grape
122. Pearl, Janis Joplin
123. Catch a Fire, Bob Marley and the Wailers
124. Younger Than Yesterday, The Byrds
125. Raw Power, The Stooges
126. Remain in Light, Talking Heads
127. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, The Mamas and the Papas
128. Marquee Moon, Television
129. 40 Greatest Hits, Hank Williams
130. Paranoid, Black Sabbath
131. Saturday Night Fever, Various Artists
132. The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, Bruce Springsteen
133. Ready to Die, The Notorious B.I.G.
134. Slanted and Enchanted, Pavement
135. Greatest Hits, Elton John
136. Tim, The Replacements
137. The Chronic, Dr. Dre
138. Rejuvenation, The Meters
139. All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2
140. Parallel Lines, Blondie
141. Live at the Regal, B.B. King
142. Phil Spector, A Christmas Gift for You, Various Artists
143. Gris-Gris, Dr. John
144. Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A
145. Aja, Steely Dan
146. Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane
147. Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology, Otis Redding
148. Deja Vu, Crosby Stills Nash and Young
149. Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin
150. Santana, Santana
151. Darkness on the Edge of Town, Bruce Springsteen
152. The B-52's, The B-52's
153. Moanin' in the Moonlight, Howlin' Wolf
154. The Low End Theory, A Tribe Called Quest
155. Pretenders, The Pretenders
156. Paul's Boutique, Beastie Boys
157. Closer, Joy Division
158. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John
159. Alive, Kiss
160. Electric Warrior, T. Rex
161. The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding
162. OK Computer, Radiohead
163. 1999, Prince
164. Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt
165. Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye
166. Imperial Bedroom , Elvis Costello
167. Master of Puppets, Metallica
168. My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello
169. Exodus, Bob Marley
170. Live at Leeds, The Who
171. The Notorious Byrd Brothers, The Byrds
172. Every Picture Tells a Story, Rod Stewart
173. Something/Anything?, Todd Rundgren
174. Desire, Bob Dylan
175. Close to You, The Carpenters
176. Rocks, Aerosmith
177. One Nation Under a Groove, Parliament/Funkadelic
178. Greatest Hits, The Byrds
179. The Anthology 1961 - 1977, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions
180. The Definitive Collection, Abba
181. The Rolling Stones, Now!, The Rolling Stones
182. Natty Dread, Bob Marley and the Wailers
183. Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac
184. Red Headed Stranger, Willie Nelson
185. The Stooges, The Stooges
186. Fresh, Sly and the Family Stone
187. So, Peter Gabriel
188. Buffalo Springfield Again, Buffalo Springfield
189. Happy Trails, Quicksilver Messenger Service
190. From Elvis in Memphis, Elvis Presley
191. Funhouse, The Stooges
192. The Gilded Palace of Sin, The Flying Burrito Brothers
193. Dookie, Green Day
194. Transformer, Lou Reed
195. Bluesbreakers, John Mayall With Eric Clapton
196. Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965 - 1968, Various Artists
197. Murmur, R.E.M.
198. The Best of, Little Walter
199. Highway to Hell, AC/DC
200. The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails
201. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Simon and Garfunkel 202. Bad, Michael Jackson
203. Wheels of Fire, Cream
204. Dirty Mind, Prince
205. Abraxas, Santana
206. Tea for the Tillerman, Cat Stevens
207. Ten, Pearl Jam
208. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Neil Young With Crazy Horse
209. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
210. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Pavement
211. Tattoo You, The Rolling Stones
212. Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner, Ike and Tina Turner
213. New York Dolls, New York Dolls
214. Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley
215. Two Steps From the Blues, Bobby Bland
216. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
217. Licensed to Ill, Beastie Boys
218. Look-Ka Py Py, The Meters
219. Loveless, My Bloody Valentine
220. New Orleans Piano, Professor Longhair
221. War, U2
222. The Neil Diamond Collection, Neil Diamond
223. Howlin' Wolf, Howlin' Wolf
224. Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen
225. The Complete Hank Williams, Hank Williams
226. Doolittle, Pixies
227. Paid in Full, Eric B. and Rakim
228. Toys in the Attic, Aerosmith
229. Nick of Time, Bonnie Raitt
230. A Night at the Opera, Queen
231. The Kink Kronikles, The Kinks
232. Mr. Tambourine Man, The Byrds
233. Bookends, Simon and Garfunkel
234. The Ultimate Collection, Patsy Cline
235. Mr. Excitement!, Jackie Wilson
236. The Who Sings My Generation, The Who
237. Like a Prayer, Madonna
238. Can't Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan
239. Let It Be, The Replacements
240. Run-DMC, Run-DMC
241. Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath
242. The Jerry Lee Lewis Anthology: All Killer No Filler!, Jerry Lee Lewis
243. Freak Out!, The Mothers of Invention
244. Live Dead, Grateful Dead
245. Bryter Layter, Nick Drake
246. The Shape of Jazz to Come, Ornette Coleman
247. Automatic for the People, R.E.M.
248. Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z
249. Low, David Bowie
250. The River, Bruce Springsteen
251. The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, Otis Redding
252. Metallica, Metallica
253. Trans-Europe Express, Kraftwerk
254. Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston
255. The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, The Kinks
256. The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson
257. Stardust, Willie Nelson
258. American Beauty, Grateful Dead
259. Crosby Stills and Nash, Crosby Stills and Nash
260. Buena Vista Social Club , Buena Vista Social Club
261. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
262. Workingman's Dead, Grateful Dead
263. The Genius of Ray Charles, Ray Charles
264. Child Is Father to the Man, Blood, Sweat and Tears
265. Cosmo's Factory, Creedence Clearwater Revival
266. Quadrophenia, The Who
267. There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Paul Simon
268. Psycho Candy, The Jesus and Mary Chain
269. Some Girls, The Rolling Stones
270. The Beach Boys Today!, The Beach Boys
271. Going to a Go-Go, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
272. Nightbirds, Labelle
273. The Slim Shady LP, Eminem
274. Mothership Connection, Parliament
275. Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson
276. Anthology of American Folk Music, Harry Smith, ed.
277. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie
278. The Immaculate Collection, Madonna
279. My Life, Mary J. Blige
280. Folk Singer, Muddy Waters
281. Can't Get Enough, Barry White
282. The Cars, The Cars
283. Five Leaves Left, Nick Drake
284. Music of My Mind, Stevie Wonder
285. I'm Still in Love With You, Al Green
286. Los Angeles, X
287. Anthem of the Sun, Grateful Dead
288. Something Else by the Kinks, The Kinks
289. Call Me, Al Green
290. Talking Heads: 77, Talking Heads
291. The Basement Tapes, Bob Dylan and the Band
292. White Light / White Heat, The Velvet Underground
293. Greatest Hits, Simon and Garfunkel
294. Kick Out the Jams, MC5
295. Meat Is Murder, The Smiths
296. We're Only In It For the Money, The Mothers of Invention
297. Weezer (Blue Album), Weezer
298. Master of Reality, Black Sabbath
299. Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton
300. Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy
301. John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan
302. The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem
303. Grace, Jeff Buckley
304. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Lucinda Williams
305. Odelay, Beck
306. Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Frank Sinatra
307. Avalon, Roxy Music
308. The Sun Records Collection, Various Artists
309. Nothing's Shocking, Jane's Addiction
310. BloodSugarSexMagik, Red Hot Chili Peppers
311. Unplugged in New York, Nirvana
312. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill
313. Damn the Torpedoes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
314. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
315. Surfer Rosa, Pixies
316. Rock Steady, No Doubt
317. The Eminem Show, Eminem
318. Back Stabbers, The O'Jays
319. Burnin', Bob Marley and the Wailers
320. Pink Moon, Nick Drake
321. Sail Away, Randy Newman
322. Ghost in the Machine, The Police
323. Station to Station, David Bowie
324. The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt, Linda Ronstadt
325. Slowhand, Eric Clapton
326. Disintegration, The Cure
327. Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette
328. Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair
329. Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth
330. In the Jungle Groove, James Brown
331. Tonight's the Night, Neil Young
332. Help!, The Beatles
333. Shoot Out the Lights, Richard and Linda Thompson
334. Wild Gift, X
335. Squeezing Out Sparks, Graham Parker
336. Superunknown, Soundgarden
337. Aqualung, Jethro Tull
338. Cheap Thrills, Big Brother and the Holding Company
339. The Heart of Saturday Night, Tom Waits
340. Damaged, Black Flag
341. Play, Moby
342. Violator, Depeche Mode
343. Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf
344. Berlin, Lou Reed
345. Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads
346. 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul
347. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd
348. At Newport 1960, Muddy Waters
349. Roger the Engineer (a.k.a. Over Under Sideways Down), The Yardbirds
350. Rust Never Sleeps, Neil Young and Crazy Horse
351. Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits
352. 52nd Street, Billy Joel
353. Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, The Yardbirds
354. 12 Songs, Randy Newman
355. Between the Buttons, The Rolling Stones
356. Sketches of Spain, Miles Davis
357. Honky Chateau, Elton John
358. Singles Going Steady, Buzzcocks
359. Stankonia, Outkast
360. Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins
361. Substance, New Order
362. L.A. Woman, The Doors
363. Ray of Light, Madonna
364. American Recordings, Johnny Cash
365. Louder Than Bombs, The Smiths
366. Mott, Mott the Hoople
367. Is This It, The Strokes
368. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
369. Reggatta de Blanc, The Police
370. Volunteers, Jefferson Airplane
371. Siren, Roxy Music
372. Late for the Sky, Jackson Browne
373. Post, Bjork
374. The Eagles, The Eagles
375. The Ultimate Collection (1948 - 1990), John Lee Hooker
376. (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis
377. CrazySexyCool, TLC
378. Funky Kingston, Toots and the Maytals
379. Greetings from Asbury Park, Bruce Springsteen
380. Sunflower, The Beach Boys
381. Modern Lovers, Modern Lovers
382. More Songs About Buildings and Food, Talking Heads
383. A Quick One (Happy Jack), The Who
384. Pyromania, Def Leppard
385. Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan
386. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, Wu-Tang Clan
387. Country Life, Roxy Music
388. A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
389. The End of the Innocence, Don Henley
390. Elephant, The White Stripes
391. The Pretender, Jackson Browne
392. Willy and the Poor Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival
393. Good Old Boys, Randy Newman
394. For Your Pleasure, Roxy Music
395. Blue Lines, Massive Attack
396. Eliminator, ZZ Top
397. Rain Dogs, Tom Waits
398. Anthology, The Temptations
399. Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers
400. Illmatic, Nas
401. (Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd), Lynyrd Skynyrd
402. Dr. John's Gumbo, Dr. John
403. Radio City, Big Star
404. Sandinista!, The Clash
405. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey
406. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinead O' Connor
407. Strange Days, The Doors
408. Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan
409. 461 Ocean Boulevard, Eric Clapton
410. Pink Flag, Wire
411. Double Nickels on the Dime, Minutemen
412. Mezzanine, Massive Attack
413. Beauty and the Beat, Go-Go's
414. Greatest Hits, James Brown
415. Van Halen , Van Halen
416. Mule Variations, Tom Waits
417. Boy, U2
418. Band on the Run, Wings
419. Dummy, Portishead
420. With the Beatles, The Beatles
421. The "Chirping" Crickets, Buddy Holly and the Crickets
422. The Best of the Girl Groups, Volumes 1 and 2 , Various Artists
423. Greatest Hits, The Mamas and the Papas
424. King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2, Robert Johnson
425. Changesone, David Bowie
426. The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against the Machine
427. Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, The Ronettes
428. Kid A, Radiohead
429. Grievous Angel, Gram Parsons
430. At Budokan, Cheap Trick
431. Anthology, Diana Ross and the Supremes
432. Sleepless, Peter Wolf
433. Another Green World, Brian Eno
434. Outlandos D'Amour, The Police
435. To Bring You My Love, PJ Harvey
436. Here Come the Warm Jets, Brian Eno
437. All Things Must Pass, George Harrison
438. #1 Record, Big Star
439. In Utero, Nirvana
440. Sea Change, Beck
441. Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt
442. Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
443. Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, Sam Cooke
444. Criminal Minded, Boogie Down Productions
445. Rum Sodomy and the Lash, The Pogues
446. Suicide, Suicide
447. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, Devo>
448. In Color, Cheap Trick
449. The World Is a Ghetto, War
450. Fly Like an Eagle, Steve Miller Band
451. Back in the USA, MC5
452. Music, Madonna
453. Ritual de lo Habitual, Jane's Addiction
454. Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto Featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim
455. Synchronicity, The Police
456. Third/Sister Lovers, Big Star
457. For Everyman, Jackson Browne
458. John Prine, John Prine
459. Strictly Business, EPMD
460. Love It to Death, Alice Cooper
461. How Will the Wolf Survive?, Los Lobos
462. Here, My Dear, Marvin Gaye
463. Tumbleweed Connection, Elton John
464. The Blueprint, Jay-Z
465. Golden Hits, The Drifters
466. Live Through This, Hole
467. Love and Theft, Bob Dylan
468. Elton John, Elton John
469. Metal Box, Public Image Ltd.
470. Document, R.E.M.
471. Heaven Up Here, Echo and the Bunnymen
472. Hysteria, Def Leppard
473. A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay
474. Live in Europe, Otis Redding
475. Tunnel of Love, Bruce Springsteen
476. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
477. The Score, Fugees
478. Radio, LL Cool J
479. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Richard and Linda Thompson
480. Faith, George Michael
481. The Smiths, The Smiths
482. Armed Forces, Elvis Costello and the Attractions
483. Life After Death, The Notorious B.I.G.
484. Branded Man, Merle Haggard
485. All Time Greatest Hits, Loretta Lynn
486. Maggot Brain, Funkadelic
487. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Smashing Pumpkins
488. Voodoo, D'Angelo
489. Guitar Town, Steve Earle
490. Entertainment!, Gang of Four
491. All the Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople
492. Vitalogy, Pearl Jam
493. That's the Way of the World, Earth, Wind and Fire
494. She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper
495. New Day Rising, Husker Du
496. Destroyer, Kiss
497. Yo! Bum Rush the Show, Public Enemy
498. Tres Hombres, ZZ Top
499. Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King
500. Touch, Eurythmics

It's time to blog again

2006-12-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

It's been since almost July that I've decided it's time to commit to blogging again and then disappear for a few more months again... maybe. But seriously, I feel like writing again (I like to alternate hobbies).

New E-mail

2006-11-30T15:03:00.000-08:00

This blog is pretty dead... for right now. But for those out there that only know how to reach me through this blog, I wanted to post a message about the fact that I've changed my e-mail address. the new one is

silversurfer9090@gmail.com

Thanks.

Paint Shop Pro (continued)

2006-07-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Superman Returns

2006-07-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

I went to the movies today and finally saw Superman Returns.

I don't know what all the mixed reviews were about because after it was over I thought it was really good. I was surprised how well Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth filled their roles, and I thought Kevin Spacey did a great job of making Lex Luther seem much more dangerous and evil than Gene Hackman ever did.

From the reviews that I read, their complaint seemed to be that Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth don't have enough dialogue, enough stuff to say to each other, etc. But I got the feeling from the beginning of the movie that the approach of the film was "we've seen Superman 1 & 2, let's get right into Superman 2 1/2". So, there really didn't need to be a bunch of explaining, we already know the backstory.

Also, all the small nods to the original films were cool to me. The cameos by the Superman TV show actors, using Marlon Brando's scenes from the original film to play Superman's father once again, and using memorable lines of dialogue again was pretty cool.

I will say it was probably the most subliminal Superman movie. There are a lot of scenes that are lonely and quiet, without any dialogue. Only pictures and settings for you to draw your own conclusions about what the characters are thinking and feeling at times. I thought it worked well.

So, for me, Superman Returns was a really good movie and I thought it was much better than the mixed reviews that I'd read prior to seeing it. I would recommend seeing it.

Something is going on with my Photobucket account, among other things, and I need to straighten it out.

Random Thought 07-05-06

2006-07-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had trouble falling asleep for half the night because your pillow smells funny?!

I did last night.

Well, so much for posting over the 4th of July weekend. I'm too interested in too many things and not interested enough to actually stay consistant about my endeavors.

I think I need a personal assistant to help me coordinate my recreational activities. Someone to hand me my helmet before climbing into the circus cannon, ya know?

It's 4th of July weekend, y'all!!!

2006-06-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

And yes, I'll finally be able to post some things. I'm off until Wednesday!

Some Paint Shop Pro

2006-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my lack of posts lately. The situation hasn't changed much in the last few weeks. Work, work, work.

But I still feel like posting something, so here are some of my Paint Shop Pro collages. I do it as kind of a hobby, and also for wrestling forums. It's something that I do to chill and relax for a few hours.

To see the real deal just click on the photo.

Tags: photoblogging Paint Shop collages wrestling hobbies

Dusty Rhodes speaks

2006-06-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

I got my DVD box set of the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes' wrestling career. As a small bonus, the DVD box actually says some of Dusty's more famous lines.

Tags: videoblogging wrestling Dusty Rhodes

Lost & Found

2006-06-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

I found this photo lying on the side of the road while I was working on a road project.

If you know this man, please buy him a shirt.

Tags: humor photos work

Help save Screech's house

2006-06-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged in a few days and thought I'd return with something not too heavy. I saw this article and thought I'd spread the word.

Save Screech, Y'all!!!

'Screech' Actor Turns to Fans for Help

Published: 6/18/06, 3:05 PM EDT
MILWAUKEE (AP) - More than a bell is needed to save Dustin Diamond this time around. Diamond, best known as geeky Screech Powers on the 1989-1993 teen comedy series "Saved by the Bell," is selling T-shirts with his photo on them to try to raise $250,000 so he doesn't lose his gray two-story house under a foreclosure order.

"If the public didn't care, I as an entertainer wouldn't have been a success," he said.

Diamond, 29, is trying to sell nearly 30,000 shirts - at $15 or $20 (autographed) each - to supplement the income he makes as a standup comic so he doesn't have to move from his Port Washington home, about 25 miles north of Milwaukee.

The T-shirt has a photo of Diamond holding a sign that says, "Save My House." The back of the shirt reads, "I paid $15.00 to save Screeech's house." The third "e" was added to get around copyright laws, he said.

He's selling the shirts on his Web site: http://www.getdshirts.com.

The foreclosure order was filed last month in Ozaukee County Circuit Court.

Diamond appeared on Howard Stern's satellite radio show Tuesday to plead his case. "I'm doing great with my comedy, but this is definitely a low point," he said. "Real life comes in and affects you."

Diamond doesn't have a listed phone number, and e-mails to the address on his Web site and at an alternative address were not immediately returned Thursday.

Tags: news Dustin Diamond Screech

Random Thoughts 06-12-06

2006-06-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I think of white America, I think of Tide commercials. - Rene Merced Jr

Don't ask me what that means. I don't know either.

Sorry if I haven't updated as regularly, amswered comments, or visited blogs lately. My job has got me back on field work and some odd hours. Plus, I've been sick.

Tags: humor personal Tide

Miami wins Game 3

2006-06-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Damn that Dwayne Wade and his 42 points!

It was a great finish though.

Miami wins 98-96.
Dallas leads the Best-of-7 series, 2 games to 1.

Tags: sports NBA basketball

Eat fresh

2006-06-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

"What can I do to leave the house for a few minutes?" was the question I was asking myself on Saturday afternoon. Going to Publix supermarket to get a 12" sub sandwich and a six-pack of beer was what I decided to do. I hadn't had a sub from Publix in a good while and I haven't eaten at SubWay for a few months either as I had decided that SubWay was not all it claimed to be. In fact, my only sub sandwich experience in the last few weeks had been made up entirely of visits to the two Firehouse Subs locations in the area. The reason for this is quite simply explained by the fact that Firehouse makes the kinds of sandwiches I prefer. The majority of the sandwiches on their menu are hot and the ones that aren't hot seem to be slightly warmed. The bread and the quality of the meat and vegetables also always seem fresher at Firehouse. They're my favorite of the moment.

Saturday though, I had an urge for a sandwich from Publix. Firstly because I couldn't remember the last one I had eaten from Publix, but also (and not less importantly) I was going to buy some beer. While we were there the guy who made our sandwiches was a very talkative conversationalist. Before we left I knew that he played basketball, his daughter watched The Boondocks, he had gotten into playing Need For Speed: Underground thanks to the guy who fried the chicken in the Deli, and a few other tidbits about his life. It would sound as if he were an annoying person, but that would be the complete opposite. Some people could talk to me about the same things and I would want to put duct tape over their mouths and give them a stupid haircut, but there's something to be said about personality and composure. He was very charismatic for a guy who makes sandwiches at a supermarket. And I don't say that as a slight. I use to do his job for the same supermarket.

After getting my sandwich I went to the beer aisle. As I was in the mood for a sandwich I hadn't eaten in a while, I was also in the mood for a brew I hadn't drank in a few moons as well. I grabbed my six-pack and got into the checkout line. The young lady who rang up my groceries kept looking at my drink choice. She even pulled one of the bottles slightly out to look at the label. "What is this?" she said. I knew what the next question would be.

"Is there tequila in this?" she asked.

"No, it's just a beer with lime juice in it already," I said, as I've said a million times before to other people.

"The name would make you think there's tequila in it," she said.

I suppose the name Tequiza would make some people think that, but if you simply read the single sentence right underneath the name on the label you would know that there isn't. I think someday reading will catch on in the United States. But it may just be wishful thinking, like World Cup fever in the States.

After the routine Tequiza conversation and driving back to the apartment, I sat down to enjoy half of my sandwich and watch some of the NBA Finals analysis on ESPN. While I was eating my sandwich I thought about the guy who made it. "He was a pretty cool guy," I thought. It made me also think more about where I am. I use to do that job. Wearing the same shirt, the same hairnet, the same plastic gloves, the same kind of stupid name tag. And now it's been about four years since I've done that job and it was actually the last job I ever had involving any kind of food. I've come a ways since then, and it felt good to realize that. I'm sure most people have that feeling to some extent when they're going through the McDonald's drive-thru and they think about when they use to be the one with the headset, and now there working in a professional career in an office somewhere, a few leaps and bounds away from those days at the window. It's a good feeling.

But besides that, I thought that maybe the reason I liked the guy so much was because I could relate. Or at least I felt like we could relate to each other. The fact that he was doing something that I use to hate with a passion while I was doing it, but he was doing with a smile and a jovial manner also made me feel as if he was better than me in that respect. I could never act so light hearted when I was there, I was simply never thrilled about making people's food and the b.s. involved with such work. People treat you like dirt when you're the guy making their food for some reason. In my conversation with the guy and talking about our experiences in the job, I could tell he felt the same way about that aspect of things. It's probably why I have sympathy for the guy at McDonald's, or the young lady taking my order at Taco Bell. When you've been that person, it's much harder to be that guy who gives them sh*t about there not being napkins in the bag.

I can always tell who the people are who I work with who've never had that kind of job. The people in my office who never had to get a job while in college because their parents' paid their rent, their car payment, their tuition, their everything and even gave them cash and credit cards to spend as if they got a salary for doing nothing. Because they're the ones that I'll go to lunch with and have to hear them bitch about nothing, or what I perceive to be nothing. Call it my own prejudice because I've come from nothing, but I can never fully connect to those people. It's really a flaw of my own character, but I've always held a grudge against people who aren't ashamed to be of priviledge. There lack of humility seems to feed my unwarranted lack of acceptance. The fact that I honestly admit my flaw is really my only way of saying I know I'm wrong. But when I talk to people about this very subject I realize that I'm not the only one. Far from it, actually. Class, next to race, is still an issue amongst people. Because even when you become a person of wealth and priviledge you know who you really are and where you come from. Whereas a person who has never seen the bottom of the social ladder will never know those people. That's not meant as a condemnation, but simply a truth. It's quite a fascinating thing to roll around in one's head.

And to think, it all was the cause of buying a sub sandwich that I began to think about these things again. Good sandwich, by the way.

Tags: blogging personal society

An ever wandering mind

2006-06-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have nothing to say, and an overwhelming need to say something. I'm kind of in that place right now. It's like a lethargic anxiousness while in the midst of writer's block.

Today at work was completely boring to no end. It would have been more exciting to answer phone for a PBS telethon than to sit at my desk and watch the digital clock on my taskbar (it's five minutes slow, by the way). Sometime in the afternoon I got tired of waiting on one our clients to no-show once again, and I decided to leave. Also I had a migraine and an upset stomach. I knew the migraine was fueled by boredom and surfing the internet, but the stomach I can't figure out.

Anyway, after going to the bathroom and dropping a stone so green Superman would've mistaken it for kryptonite, I said adios and headed home. Since then, I've taken some aspirin and watch some news coverage.

Oh yeah, al-Zarqawi is dead, if you didn't know. How could you not know? His dead face is only splattered across the top of every internet news site and talked about on all the 24 hour news networks. It's news, yes, but it's a bit overboard. It's also not too often that the U.S. media uses photos of dead people in their stories. Half of the stories basically seem like,"Hey, look at this dead guy! Yep... it's a dead guy... look... his lips are purple... cool, huh?"

World Cup is kicking off and no one seems to care here because I'm in the United States and if it's not a sport that we started or dominate, we don't want anything to do with it. Oh well, I think I'll try to keep up with it, myself.

The Dallas Mavericks won the first game of the NBA finals against the Miami Heat in a game that could've been better but was very close all the way to the end and still quite entertaining. Hopefully in Game 2 on Sunday both teams won't be nervous and bring their A games.

In other unexciting news, I watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves this week for the first time in maybe 6 or 7 years. It was still very good, and it was like watching a new movie since I completely forgot about two thirds of it. I also forgot that it was damn near 2 and a half hours long. I should've known that since Kevin Costner hasn't been in a movie under 2 hours since who knows when.

Besides all that exciting news, I can't really think of anything else to say at the moment. So, I'll leave you this:

I am eyes in a sea of ears.

Think about that for a moment. I'm sure I'll have something more entertaining to talk about tomorrow.

Sidenote: Does anyone ever listen to the songs posted at the top of the sidebar? Not that it matters, I was just wondering.

Tags: blogging al-zarqawi world cup NBA movies

Ann Coulter sucks

2006-06-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you already knew that Ann Coulter was an anorexic right-wing pre-op transgender. But recently Coulter decided to make disrespectful remarks about 9/11 widows simply to generate attention for her new book, displaying her ugly unshaved scrotum of hatred to the world (figuratively, of course). I tried to read one of her books once (Treason), and it was unbearable. Her book made Tucker Carlson's seem like Mark Twain by comparison. I doubt this new one will be any better.

So, Ann Coulter, you should celebrate your latest media blitz by eating an entire M&M. Peel the candy shell off first though! That's where the calories are, you know.

Also, do something about your adam's apple.

Tags: Ann Coulter politics opinion Satan

Sorry, babe

2006-06-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

...but I had to write about this. Last night while we were lying in bed me and Crystal were joking with each other. We were talking about coming straight home today after work and having sex. During the conversation Crystal said,"you can give me a good pokin!"

I've been laughing since last night! She doesn't normally talk like that (actually she never talks like that) which is probably why I'm still smiling. A good "pokin'"? Heh, yeah... I'm still laughing.

I asked if I could boink her instead, but that option was vetoed. So was porking.

Oh yeah. I wasn't suppose to write about that. She said it made her sound like she should be living in a trailer (yeah, it does). But I'm sorry I have an audience and I have an obligation to deliver the goods.

Sorry, babe. (She's gonna kick my a**)

Tags: personal humor sex

NBA Finals

2006-06-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

After watching the Miami Heat put away Detroit on Thursday, and then the amazing comeback-from-behind victory for the Dallas Mavericks over the Phoenix Suns, I'm really psyched to watch the NBA Finals this year. Which is something I haven't said in a few years.

Plus, I can't wait to see how the Mavs and Heat match-up this time around. With the talent and depth of both rosters it should make for a very interesting series. I wouldn't be surprised to see it go 7 games.

Also, whoever wins this year will be NBA Champs for the first time in team history, no matter who wins, which is cool.

I still can't decide who I want to win this thing, but I'm leaning toward Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks at the moment. It was such an awesome game on Saturday, they just really won me over.

Game 1 Miami at Dallas 9e/8c pm on ABC this Thursday

Tags: NBA sports basketball

Random Thoughts 06-02-06

2006-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

In a cavalier and unpuncuated moment of thought today, I asked myself the question: What is the most unpleasurable household product that I use on a daily basis? The answer came to me before I had finished the question.

Listerine.

The fact that I gargle something every morning and evening that brings tears to my eyes should show you how dedicated I am to fresh breath, people. I do it for you.

If we should ever meet in person I would appreciate a courteous handshake... and a small compliment on the minty freshness emanating from my pie hole.

Thank you.

Tags: opinion personal listerine blogging

Batwoman coming out of the Bat Cave?

2006-06-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

It's funny to me that the Press actually cares about a story like this. I think there's 2 reasons for it.

1) Ignorance

2) "Lesbian"

Let me explain specifically on the two.

I say ignorance because for the majority of the mainstream press, comic books and graphic novels still fall into the category of "for the kids", and that's totally not the case. Just like when the press targets animated films and television, and the video game industry for violence and adult subject matter. They never seem to realize that none of these mediums are "just for kids". Children aren't the only target market and they haven't been for a long time now. I just know sooner or later someone is going to tie this into the old and tired argument of "what effect will this have on the kids?!"

It's bull.

For the second one. Well... that one's fairly obvious. The media loves Lesbians! Anytime the words "gay" or "lesbian" are put next to something new they sh*t their pants. So, I guess the press is interested to inform the world of the first mainstream lesbian comic book character in DC Comics history. I can't wait for the day when they're giving second-to-second coverage of the first lesbian to walk on the moon.

"That's one small step for lesbians. One giant leap for comfortable shoes."

Of course, gay people need to realize - even when you win, you don't always win that much. Batwoman is going to be the more acceptable (or at least sexier) "Lipstick Lesbian", not the more intimidating "Diesel Dyke Lesbian" that we all know and love that will share sex stories with you like one of the guys in the break room at work.

Plus, Batwoman is one the most marginalised characters in the DC comics universe. She's actually been DEAD and gone since like... 1980?

Tags: comic books Batwoman gay opinion

Inspirational School Poster: Class Participation

2006-05-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

Go ahead and raise your hand. Just don't be the kid that asks if potatoes grow on trees.

Tags: humor school parody joke

Parenting Tips for Idiots

2006-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Is anything on this list not obvious?! I'll let you read it and you tell me.

Top 10 Parenting Pitfalls: How to Raise Well Behaved Children
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
By Heather Hatfield

Parenting is no walk in the park, especially on the days when your little angel, whether he’s 6 or 16, decides to act like a demon.

If it’s the temper tantrum in the toy store over the latest video game, or the daily fight over math homework, or the food fight in a restaurant on Friday night, parents have a choice: To react in a way that will only make matters worse when the bell rings for round two, or respond like the calm, cool, and collected parents we see on TV shows like Nanny 911 -- after weeks of live-in, televised therapy.

What is the secret to their success, other than public humiliation?

“Overall, with any scenario, the worst thing a parent can do that helps bratty behavior blossom is to not set clear expectations and not have consequences to a child’s behavior,” says Jenn Berman, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in Beverly Hills who specializes in family therapy.

Experts offer advice on the top 10 parenting pitfalls that will help you raise a well-behaved child -- instead of a brat.

1. The TV Toy

It’s Saturday morning, you’re doing laundry, the kids are watching their morning cartoons, and it happens: Your middle child sees the toy of his dreams on TV, starts in with the begging, and doesn’t let up.

Brat-building response: “A lot of kids see things on TV -- games, food, or dolls -- and then they start nagging until they get it,” says Berman. “If you run to the store to buy your child exactly what they want, then you’ve taught them that nagging is an effective tool for getting their way.”

Angel-building response: “You can say, ‘It’s a cool toy. Let me find out how much it is, and I can help you save your allowance for it,’” says Berman. “You are teaching your child to work toward a goal --instead of giving in. It helps the child learn about goals, saving money, and it’s a good response for both parent and child.”

2. The Bribes

You’re having your boss over for dinner on Friday night, and while you begged your sister to watch the kids for the evening, no such luck. Is it time to start bribing them to be quiet with expensive sneakers or the latest handbag from Dolce & Gabbana?

Brat-building response: “Parents often try to buy good behavior by getting their kids expensive gifts,” says Berman. “And then they say, ‘I don’t understand why she isn’t better behaved? I get her everything she wants!’” These cool gifts lose their meaning and the child feels entitled and less well behaved.”

Angel-building response: “Allow the child the opportunity to earn what you give them, and set limits around their expectations,” says Berman. “Tell them, ‘You can get one pair of shoes within this amount of money.’ Teach them early on how to make choices.”

3. The Sleepover

Her bags are packed and she’s ready to go to the sleepover, except for one thing: She forgot to ask for your permission.

Brat-building behavior: Even though she’s screaming bloody murder, if you let her get away with it once, she’ll do it again, and again and again. “You’ve taught your child that screaming long enough will get her what she wants, and now you’ve created your own private hell,” Berman tells WebMD.

Angel-building behavior: “As a parent, it is always considerate and helpful to let a child know your thinking, so your child knows why you don’t want her to go to the sleepover, so it doesn’t seem like you are being unreasonable,” says Berman. “But if you shared your reasoning, and she keeps yelling, you have to stand your ground.”

3. The Divide and Conquer

You’ve been very clear and given your son a decisive NO when he asked, ”Can I go to the birthday party, puh-lease?” His tactic? To ask dad.

Brat-building behavior: “When a child gets 'no' from mom, and 'yes' from dad, it teaches them they can divide and conquer,” says Berman. “They learn that they can divide their parents and fool them, and if they are manipulative enough, they can get what they want.”

Angel-building behavior: “Enforce in advance,” says Berman. “Tell a child that if you ask mom and get 'no,' and then you ask dad and get 'yes,' the 'no' still stands, and your punishment for asking us both is xyz.”

4. The Screaming in the Store

We’ve all seen it: The screaming child in the toy store. He wants the latest video game, and he’s not shutting up until he has it.

Brat-building response: “If you give in, you teach your child that when he acts like a brat he can get what he wants,” says Dan Kindlon, author of Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age. “You’re reinforcing his bratty behavior.”

Angel-building response: “There are two ways to approach it,” says Kindlon, who teaches child psychology at Harvard University.

First, plan ahead, and second, plan a response.

“Make a deal with them beforehand -- you are going to buy them something and it’s only going to cost $5,” says Kindlon. “Or tell them, ‘I’m going shopping for your cousin and this is not for you.’ Give them structure beforehand so they’re not caught off guard. Then, if they still explode in the store, ignore them, say you are not going to listen anymore. Then you leave the store and take them with you.”

5. The Car Ride

You have 300 miles in front of you when your youngest explodes in a temper tantrum that rivals the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Brat-building response: “If you just start yelling and screaming at her, it’s not going to help,” Kindlon tells WebMD. “And a major mistake most parents make is to give the child an ultimatum, like ‘If you keep this up you’re not going to watch TV when you get home.’”

But even though their tantrum continues ad nauseam, the TV goes on when the family gets home because the parent is beaten down.

“This teaches a child that the best way to get what they want is to behave like a brat,” says Kindlon.

Angel-building response: “Plan ahead,” says Kindlon “Bring snacks, games, and things to keep them entertained in the car. If that doesn't work, help them understand the consequences of their behavior. Again, with the ultimatum, if you use one, stick to it: ‘If you don’t stop behaving this way, you don’t get to watch TV when you get home.’”

6. The Lack of Respect

Your kid just called you a name, or talked back, or showed you some all-around lack of what Aretha Franklin likes to call R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Brat-building response: “If you sink to their level and use the same language back at them, you’re modeling bad behavior,” says Kindlon. “You’re teaching them the wrong way to deal with something and someone when you’re upset.”

Angel-building response: “Dock a kid 50 cents on their allowance when they use a tone of voice or an inappropriate word you don’t like,” says Kindlon. “Maintain your cool. Show mature behavior, and give them consequences for their bad behavior.”

7. The Restaurant

You just sat down to dinner with your husband and three kids at a local restaurant when the outbursts start.

Brat-building behavior: “What happens is there is talk of punishment and threats at the restaurant, like ‘I’m going to take way your play date on Sunday,’ or ‘No TV for a week,’” says Paul Donahue, PhD, director of Child Development Associates in Scarsdale, N.Y. “Punishments don’t work as well as a rewards, or the threats are idle because the kid knows that the parent won’t take away their TV.”

Angel-building response: “Before you get to the restaurant, tell your child what you expect in terms of behavior,” says Donahue. “If your behavior is good, here is what privilege will come your way, whether its dessert at the restaurant, or that they get to watch a movie when they get home.”

Kids need to understand that their privileges are based on their behavior, explains Donahue.

“While I’m not suggesting you bribe your kids or take them to Toys ‘R’ Us because they sit at the dinner table, they need to understand that the things they enjoy are privileges and they can have those things if they behave well,” says Donahue. “Kids have to have an understanding that good behavior is expected, and if they behave well, good things will come their way.”

8. The Morning Routine

It’s hard enough for you to get out of bed at 6 a.m., let alone get your two kids out of bed. Should you let them sleep late, just this once?

Brat-building response: “Sometimes kids come downstairs in the morning, they watch TV, they get around to eating their breakfast, they get dressed, the process gets delayed, mom or dad gets frustrated and angry, and maybe they make the bus, maybe the don’t,” says Donahue. Better yet, the whole routine starts over again the next day.

Angel-building response: “Kids shouldn’t come down and watch TV or play a video game first thing in the morning,” says Donahue. “It’s like saying you get to have this fun experience before you get dressed, brush your teeth, or do your work. You have to take care of your responsibilities first.”

9. The Homework

As your child gets older and wiser, his pile of homework grows -- as does the frustration you feel in making sure he gets it all done.

Brat-building response: “We want our kids to do well in school, and yet we are not clear that homework takes precedent over a play date or after-school activities,” says Donahue. “So then the homework gets left until after dinner, and then it’s diminishing returns: they’re tired, and it’s getting much more difficult to get them to do it, and they don’t have incentive to get it done.”

Angel-building response: “There needs to be a reasonable structure for homework,” says Donahue. “Say to your kids, ‘At 3 p.m. you get to play, but at 4 p.m., you sit down and do your homework.’ It’s especially important in most families that homework get done before dinner. Set the structure in place so when they are older and they have more activities, they know they still need to get homework done before dinner.”

10. Parenting Tips

No matter the scenario, here are tips for dealing with parenting pitfalls:

Mean business. “Speak to your child like you mean business, and send clear messages when you’re communicating with your kids,” says Donahue.

Stick to your guns. “The toughest thing is to have endurance,” says Donahue. “Stick to your guns, even when the kids are whining and pushing your buttons. Kids know that if we have a history of not sticking to what we say, they’re going to push and push. Have the endurance and the strength and the energy to keep up with them.”

Plan ahead. “Parents have to do a better job of helping kids to anticipate the behavior that is expected of them beforehand,” Donahue tells WebMD. “When you’re in the middle of a situation, you’re busy and rushing and don’t think about it, and then things can get out of control.”

Take care of yourself. “Sleep more, exercise, and take care of yourself,” says Donahue. “Parenting is extremely exhausting work.”

By Heather Hatfield, reviewed By Ann Edmundson, MD

Sources: Jenn Berman, PhD, psychologist, Beverly Hills, Calif. Paul Donahue, PhD, director, Child Development Associates, Scarsdale, N.Y. Dan Kindlon, professor of, child psychology, Harvard University; author, Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age.

People are so Politically Correct even when it comes to raising their children that they don't know how. It's sad when someone doesn't know how to even handle a freakin' kids temper tantrums.

It's funny that in this day and age I can read an article like this with ten problems and ten solutions. When I was a kid my mother had ONE solution for all ten problems and it was called,"Do what I tell you or I'm gonna bust your ass, boy!"

And the crazy thing was... it worked! Go figure.

If there is anything, and I mean ANYTHING on this list that you didn't know or realized before you read it, then you shouldn't have children.

Tags: opinion parenting children brats

Fight Club for Techies

2006-05-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this story and had to say something. First of all, you're not suppose to be wearing helmets if it's a Fight Club. Secondly, it's not suppose to be in some guys garage like you came over to play and have juice like a group of 2nd graders. Thirdly, flailing and kicking another nerd does not prepare you for the unadulerated rage of a real man. It only gives you false confidence which will cause you to do something stupid and eventually facilitate your own pummeling and aerial flight into a McDonalds dumpster. Don't think you're "all that" after beating up Rog while wearing a bicycle helmet, Keith!

Just because you happen to be 125 lbs. and only have selective pubic hair growth doesn't mean you're not a man. It just means that you're only half a man. It's sad, but those are the facts. Don't fight them with your soft pudgy fists. Fight them with your brain. Make more money, buy nice things, and get yourself a shallow, but attractive gold digging trophy wife. It's the only way you can compete or attempt to get even.

Being the toughest nerd will only bring you to the top of the bottom of the heap, man.

Tags: humor news fight club nerds

Cordless Jump-rope?! Wha?!

2006-05-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is a real AP News story.

Cordless Jump-Rope Can Help the Clumsy
Published: 5/29/06, 9:45 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) - If you think keeping fit is merely mind over matter, Lester Clancy has an invention for you - a cordless jump-rope.

That's right, a jump-rope minus the rope. All that's left is two handles, so you jump over the pretend rope. Or if you are truly lazy, you can pretend to jump over the pretend rope.

And for that idea kicking around Clancy's head since 1988, the U.S. Patent Office this month awarded the 52-year-old Mansfield, Ohio, man a patent. Its number: 7037243.

What makes this invention work is the moving weights inside the handles. They simulate the feel of a rope moving, Clancy said. Well, it's only one handle so far because Clancy is waiting for financial backers before building its partner.

But why jump rope without a rope?

It's perfect for the clumsy, Clancy said. "If you are still jumping, you're still using your legs as well as your arms, and getting the cardiovascular workout. You just don't have to worry about tripping on the rope."

It is also good for mental institutions and prisons where rope is a suicide risk, said Clancy, who works as a laundry coordinator in a state prison. And low ceiling fans aren't a hazard any more, he said.

Daniel Wright, who features the cordless jump-rope on his Web site http://www.patentlysilly.com, can barely talk about Clancy's invention without laughing.

"What really grabbed me," Wright said, was the name the item has in its patent, Wright said.

The idea isn't all that crazy, said Mike Ernst, a professor of kinesiology at California State University in Dominguez Hills.

"I think it's silly but at the same time if somehow, some way it promotes physical activity, gets kids active, then I'm all for it," Ernst said.

The more he thought about it, the more Ernst said he could see the benefit, adding that the act of jumping, not the rope itself, is what provides exercise.

"Do you need to jump with a rope? You don't," Ernst said. "But I wouldn't buy the product, I can tell you that. I'm not an idiot."

High-tech handles aren't needed. You could even use toilet paper holders, Ernst said. On second thought, he wondered if he could patent that idea.

___

Patentlysilly: http://www.patentlysilly.com

Anyone caught purchasing this product should be tagged like cattle, tracked by the federal government and targeted for sterilization.

Tags: humor inventions news stupid

Hot Dog! - pilot episode

2006-05-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

I was discussing television & comedy concepts with a friend during an IM conversation when this idea came about. I liked it - he did not.

It's been so long since I've done something like this for the blog though, and I think it might be fun to write some original material again. So, here is the first episode of...

SETTING: Chicago Suburb, Evening, The Gowan Residence

SCENE: The Gowan's are lying in bed reading

Gary Gowan: Are you ready for bed?

Jill Gowan: I'm almost finished with this chapter.

Gary: How many more pages?

Jill: Why?

Gary: Because I can't sleep when the lights are on, you know that.

Jill: Turn your light off and go to sleep then.

Gary: Your light has to be off too.

(Jill closes her book and puts it on the night stand)

Jill: (huffs) Fine then! Let's go to bed. Will that make you happy, Gary?

Gary: Yes, Jill, it would.

(Jill turns off her light. They both lay in the dark for a moment in silence)

Gary: Now what?

Jill: Well, now I can't sleep!

Gary: Just close your eyes... shut your mind... concentrate on nothing... concentrate on the silence...

(Gary farts)

Jill: Oh great. That really helps.

Gary: Does it?

(Gary farts again)

Gary: (smiling) Sorry, babe. Do you want me to roll over?

Jill: Yes, Gary! Roll over! Roll over and die!

Gary: Now you're just being a brat. I bet you wouldn't hate it so much if you gave it a chance.

Jill: Excuse me?!

Gary: Gave it a chance. You might be a freak, Jill. You might get turned on by it. You know. Like this!

(Gary pulls the covers over Jills head and lets one rip)

Gary: It's called a "Dutch oven"!

Jill: You dirty son of a bitch!(coughs)

Gary: Damn! That one kind of hurt.

Jill: (coughs) I can taste it!!! (coughs) You bastard!!!

Gary: I had a glass of orange juice and a boiled egg for lunch.

(Jill slowly begins to wiggle less and less under the sheet)

Gary: Playing dead, Jill? (laughing) That's a good one!

(Jill stops moving completely)

(silence)

Gary: Jill? ...Jill?

(Gary lifts the sheet and looks at Jill)

Gary: Jill?!

(fade out)

NEXT SCENE: Jill's funeral

Preacher: Jill was a warm and caring woman...

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

Now, I'm sure after reading that you're wondering what exactly the premise is. Well, Gary evaluates his life after the death of his wife, Jill, and decides to finally stand up to his older brother and father by competing against the rest of the family in the Hot Dog Stand business in Chicago.

I know. It's completely retarded, but I think that's what I like about it and I plan to go forward with it for awhile. I think once the characters of his father and brother come into the picture, it will get a lot more interesting.

Tags: Humor television comedy

Calling Dr. Scholls

2006-05-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I hate getting ingrown toe nails. I especially hate the troublesome ones that don't like to come out easily. This last time I had to get hardcore. I don't usually cut into my toe nail with wood carving chisels, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Needless to say, I had to drink a few beers before and after. But I feel much better for doing so.

Tags: blogging health personal

Harold rules!!!

2006-05-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Was I the only person watching Top Chef on Bravo?

No matter. Because the guy I was rooting for, Harold, won the whole thing! Way to go.

Anyone would have been better than Tiffani, but Harold was the guy that I liked the most during the whole show.

"Tiffani, pack up your knives and please leave."

I guess everyone else was watching Taylor Hicks win American Idol. I personally turn Idol off once all the crazy retarded people are eliminated. Let me know what you thought of Top Chef, or if you were watching Idol, or if there's another reality show I should be watching.

Tags: Top Chef reality tv Bravo

My Theme Park Adventure

2006-05-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Where to begin...

Last Wednesday was the longest day at work that I can remember in a long time, simply because I was waiting to run out the door and start my vacation the following morning. Eventually, the workday ended and I went home and got all my things together for the trip to Orlando the next morning. I slept, but not as well as I usually do. I was obviously anxious to start the journey 5 and a half hours Southeast and start getting on some thrill rides.

Crystal woke up at around 6am to make a large breakfast before we hit the road. I didn't rise and get dressed until about 7:30am. When I did shuffle out into the kitchen there was french toast and cream of wheat already made and waiting to be eaten. I inhaled about 5 pieces of french toast and a bowl and a half of cream of wheat. Yep, it was good.

I packed the car with our two bags (a suitcase and a large duffle bag), our MP3 players, a cooler filled with PowerAde and water, and a box full of potato chips and other delectable snack foods. We were off and running. Things were going quite smoothly... too smoothly.

Crystal decided to take the driver's seat for the trip down to Orlando. Which is fine by me, because after breakfast I was quite ready to go back to sleep. I didn't go back to sleep though. I sat in the passenger seat and talked to Crystal most of the way. When we weren't talking I was playing with my MP3 player. I played a good amount of Styx, Weezer, and assorted 80s hits. Once I tired of that I went through the radio stations which weren't very fruitful. We were able to listen to Fort Minor's Where'd You Go about three times in a row by simply changing the station after it ended each time (that song is getting a lot of play).

And then about three quarters of the way to Orlando something happened. It seemed very much like an omen at the time, to turn around and head back. As were rounding a very long curve on I-75 in our small sized, lowriding Ford Escort SE, we both looked ahead in our lane and saw a shredded tire from an 18-wheeler. Not a large piece of a tire - the whole freakin' thing! As we flew toward it at a speed somewhere near 75mph, we both seemed to clench for the impact. Even though the radio was on, it seemed like 3 whole seconds of complete silence as the tire disappeared from view as we began to go over it. I could feel the scraping "clud" as the rubber hit the underside of the passenger side floorboards and the car gave a slight jolt up and forward. We both turned and looked back at the tire and let out our breath. We got lucky, nothing happened to the car.

When we got to Orlando we didn't go straight to the hotel room. We went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We went there for our honeymoon two years earlier and this year we decided to get annual passes since we plan to start going on a regular basis now that Crystal's working and we both love the parks and the rides.

First, we got our annual pass IDs made. Mine looks very much like my Drivers' License: like a serial killer's mugshot on the 11 o'clock news.

Then we hit the park. Our day was already half over so we decided to only hit the biggies. We went into Universal Studios first and got on the Mummy's Revenge. If you haven't ridden it, I highly recommend it. Then it was over to Islands of Adventure to get on The Hulk, and Spider-Man 3D. We were planning to ride Dueling Dragons as well, but it was closed for some reason. Shortly after eating at the NASCAR Cafe there on City Walk, we went to the hotel to check in.

Our room was very nice compared to what we usually get when we go to Orlando on a budget. Our room at the Best Western had two double beds, a large TV, and a Fridge. The drapes, sheets, and carpeting were all very clean and neat. We were both very tired and went to sleep after taking showers. It had been a long full day and we needed some rest for Disney World the next day.

Almost everytime I would begin to fall asleep Crystal would yell over to me that I was snoring and that she couldn't sleep because of it. Yes, I do snore. And when I'm extremely tired I really saw logs. She tossed and turned until I tried to stay awake so she could fall asleep. Eventually we both were dreaming. But when the alarm went off in the morning, I was dead tired.

We got dressed and headed out to the car to head to breakfast. "Aw, great!!", I said when I saw the rear drivers' side tire completely flat on the car. "We have a flat tire,"

"What?! Noooo!!!" Crystal knew exactly what pitch to hit to make it feel like an international crisis.

She went into the room to get a phonebook to look for service stations and Wal-Marts, and I got the jack and spare out of the trunk. About 15 minutes later we were driving to the Wal-Mart about 15 minutes away. I was completely covered in sweat and I still couldn't seem to wake up. Well, $64 later I was slightly awakened. Afterward, we drove to Disney's Animal Kingdom to meet Crystal's sister and her family.

They coordinated their vacation with ours and we both decided to go to the parks and do the rides together. Once we got there and met up with them the day really began and after that the trip never went South again. It was completely smooth sailing after the tire, but at the time I was beginning to think that this was going to turn into a National Lampoon's Vacation and when we got to the park it was going to be closed or some other crazy scenario. Thank goodness, I was wrong.

The very first thing we rode was Expedition Everest. The newest ride in all the parks. They try to hype it up in the commercials and brochures like it's one of the tallest coasters in the world, but once you get to the top it goes inside the mountain and you really can't tell how high you are because you're flying around like a maniac in the dark (like Space Mountain). After that it was over to Khali River Rapids and a healthy douche of theme park water from head to toe. We also went on the Kiliminjaro Safari ride which was cool and they had it set up like the African plains.

Well, now I'm just gonna hit the highlights since as we all know, a day at the theme park is long and not great stuff to really get into detail. Let me talk about the attractions. Soarin' was a lot of fun. It's like a glider simulator where you're flying over the Golden Gate Bridge, mountains, orange groves, and trees. You feel the breeze and even smell the oranges and trees. You sit in a seat raised off the floor and placed out over a large IMAX style screen.

I thought Rock'n Rollercoaster starring Aerosmith was a big disappointment. It goes fast, but that's about all there was to it. The same kind of goes for Test Track, but it was a little more fun.

Mission To Mars made me feel kind of light headed and really wasn't much fun.

The three rides that we got on more than anything were three classics. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and of course, Space Mountain.

Besides the coasters we went to a lot of the 3D shows and older rides, like It's A Small, Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Snow White's Scary Adventure, The Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, The Carousel of Progress, and many more.

It was a fantastic time. By the end of it though I had blisters on the bottoms of both of my feet. Next time, I need to bring a better pair of sneakers.

Tags: Blogging Vacation Disney World Family

Vacation Photos '06

2006-05-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am planning to give a rundown of the trip, but today I'm just gonna chill before heading back to work tomorrow. But in the meantime, here are some pictures form the trip. Enjoy!

Above: Splash Mountain, of course.

This is a FilmLoop from PhotoBucket. If you have FilmLoop, or click on the loop to download it (it's free), you can see the fullsized photos if you want.

Tags: Blogging Photoblogging Vacation Disney World Family

"I'm going to DisneyWorld!"

2006-05-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

Actually, I'll be going to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure also... but those parks don't have people whose heads I can digitally place in jars.

(Yes, I know that Walt Disney didn't actually have his head cryogenically frozen, but what the hey! It makes an interesting picture.)

I'm off from the 18th - 23rd, I'll be coming back on the 22nd. So I'll be back to give everyone the details(with some pictures, of course) in about a week. See ya then!

Tags: Blogging Vacation Disney World humor fun

The Da Vinci Code controversy

2006-05-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

I guess the first thing I have to ask is - why? What is the big controversy about the Da Vinci Code?

Before the new movie was made, I read the book. You probably remember about a year ago, maybe, when everyone was talking about it and everyone was reading it. Well, I was one of those readers. And after I read it, I'd have to say that I liked it. I thought it was an interesting, fast-paced read with some cool little puzzles and crap in it, and it had an interesting resolution, I thought. Afterword, I read Dan Brown's Angels & Demons (which, if it were made into a movie would probably be much more controversial) and I felt like I had been taken a bit. They were damn near the same book!(sighs) But back to Da Vinci Code...

It's members of the Christian community (which I'm a part of) that find a problem with the book. Many seem to feel that the book presents some contradicting views of Christian history and theology as fact and that bothers them. I can understand that in some regards. But the problem with that is the fact that the book is clearly fiction. It is a fiction book. FICTION BOOK. What am I missing here?

It's almost like watching the freaks come out into the sun all over again like during the initial Harry Potter controversy. Why, people?! What is wrong with Harry Potter?! Did your parents act like this when the Wizard of Oz came out?! I doubt it.

I just don't understand sometimes, the battles that people choose to fight.

As far as the movie is concerned here is a link to one of the first movie reviews. I'm not sure if I'm going to see it at the theater since I've already read the book, but I'm thinking about it.

Tags: Da Vinci Code Opinion Religion Movies

President Bush's immigration speech

2006-05-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how many people watched President Bush's speech on television last night, but I was only able to catch about the last five minutes of it since I somehow completely forgot it was coming.

Today, when I got the chance, I went online and read the entire oration. And I had a few thoughts on the subject.

I can't say that much of what he said was new because I'm pretty sure I've heard most of what he said before. Although in his speech many of the strategic points were finally clearly stated - like the eventual end of "catch and release", the worker IDs, and the ability for illegals to work toward citizenship, but not blanket amnesty. Also, the use of National Guard troops at the border was stated in his speech. He also said that the Guard are not to be militarizing the border, but basically in a support capacity for the Border Patrol. I know a lot of people didn't like the use of Guard troops being mentioned as many feel that we're already stretched too thin in that respect. The number of Guard troops that the President gave, however, would only be about 2% of the country's Guard forces.

Overall, it was a middle-of-the-road-soluton speech, I feel. Guard troops and "no amnesty" to appease the hardline conservatives, and "a chance for citizenship" and "no mass expulsions of the illegals already here" for the liberals. Still it would seem that there are people unhappy on both sides.

There are GOP members who say anything short of arrest is amnesty, and you have liberals who are saying that Bush is simply pandering to both sides(I thought that's what a solution was supposed to do?). I find both groups completely contemptible, myself. Neither really wants to find a middle ground, they're more interested in winning the argument.

I did go around the internet a bit today to see the reaction to the speech and I have to say it was kind of funny. On the conservative side there really wasn't much to read. It was kind of a collective "eh", if you will.

Whereas on the liberal side they seemed to be stark raving mad. When some of the comments on AirAmericaRadio and it's message board compared Bush's speeches with those of Adolf Hitler, I almost had to laugh! What a bunch of f*cking whack jobs, man.

Now, if you're a liberal and/or a Democrat, that's fine, I have no problem with that. But don't expect anyone to take you seriously when you start to say things like that. It's impossible to listen to someone reasonably when they get into that territory. It shows a lack of a deductive thought process and ignorance. Shouting that the other guy is narrowminded because he holds a different political opinion is simply "the pot calling the kettle black".

As far as my own view of politics is concern it's a lot like this:
The late great Bill Hicks summed it up best when he said that when you're deciding to vote for either a Democrat or a Republican you're basically saying,"I believe the puppet on the left expresses my views... No wait, I feel like the puppet on the right shares my political opinons... Hey wait! One guy is holding both puppets!" (a loud voice comes over a p.a. system) "Go back to sleep, America. Everything is fine. Go back to sleep, America,"

That pretty much sums it up for me and politics. Do you wanna vote for Coke? Or would you pefer Pepsi?

As far as the President's speech is concerned, I'd have to say it made sense to me. I honestly don't care about the issue that much and if what he said will shut everyone up, good - do it!

And if people are still up in arms at this point, I'd have to say screw 'em. You can't please everybody.

Agree? Disagree? I'm always open to hear what others think.

Tags: Politics Bush Immigration Opinion

Anniversary

2006-05-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today is my 2 year anniversary. We've had our "ups and downs".

All kidding aside, they've been 2 of the best years of my life. I wouldn't change a thing in my life because it's what brought me to where I am now, and to Crystal (the undisputed Worlds Greatest Wife).

Also, about Mothers Day yesterday. I cooked a ton chicken, but when we got over there nothing else was done. We ended up eating much later than we were suppose to even though I did my part. By the time we ate, the chicken was cold. Crystal also made a large macaroni and cheese, and a pasta salad. Besides the late start it was a decent day.

Mexico Beach

2006-05-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

I finally went to the beach for the first time this summer. We decided to go to Mexico Beach about 45 minutes East of Panama City.

It would be nice to go to the beach here, but it's gotten overtaken with condos and people from out-of-town. Sorry, but I refuse to fight for a piece of the beach with a bunch of rednecks and snowbirds. I'd rather move on to another spot. Besides that, Mexico Beach has Panama City Beach beat by a mile. It's cleaner, quieter, and the people aren't as loud and obnoxious.

We took the radio, the sunblock, and some water and drinks. Crystal won't get in the water, she only wants to get a tan. I find that ridiculous, but I'm a Puerto Rican - I must swim! I got in the water and swam up and down the shore for a little while. The only irritating thing I can think of was an elderly couple fishing not too far from where I was swimming. I knew exactly what I was going to say if I got a fish hook in the hand, but luckily it never came to that.

After a couple hours of sunning and swimming, we went for a walk down the beach and looked for shells (nothing this time). We walked back, I swam one more time, and then we packed it up.

It was a good time. The water was perfect for a refreshing swim and the temperature was a breezy 80 degrees. While we were there I snapped a couple pictures.

My favorite photo...

There's nothing cuter than a woman enjoying her juice pouch at the beach.

Tomorrow's Mother's Day and I have to get up in the morning to grill a bunch of chicken for a cook-out at my Mother-in-law's house. I'm sure I'll have something to say about it afterword.

Cotton Top sighting

2006-05-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

The scientific name is "constantus-turn-signalus", or the more commonly used "Cotton Top". An elderly driver with the nimble and agile reflexes of a drunken rhino.

I spotted this one on the way home wandering to and fro. She was in no big hurry to get to the end of the road. Why hurry? The speed limit is only 35mph. I mean, why we're at it why don't we drive... 25mph! After all, we're only on our way to look at the extensive collection of pantyhose at Walgreens.

Sh*t!

But just because we're driving at 25 in a 35 doesn't mean we need to come to a smooth stop. If we're going to have fun we need to apply the brakes suddenly when we're 10 to 15 feet from the car in front of us. As a Cotton Top we need to confuse and frighten anyone within 100 yards of our death machine, er... vehicle.

I HATE OLD PEOPLE!!!

I'm sorry, I take that back. I hate elderly people with access to personal transportation.

Why aren't these people in a hurry?! If anyone should be in a rush it should be them. The Grim Reaper of Death is only within arms reach of you! You need to move your ass! He could get a hand inside the back of your shirt collar and pull you down at any moment! Run, dammit, run! You're never gonna make it to Goody's in time for the wool dress suit sale!

And while you're doing that, get out of my way or take the damn bus!

(sighs) Thank you.

Running on empty

2006-05-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Damn, this week is slowly sucking me dry! I can't really explain it - yes, I can.

Sunday night was fine. Skip that.

Monday night was the beginning. Had a great day and a great night out. But, when we arrived at the house around 10:20pm it started to go downhill. We made it home before a major storm blew through and did some damage around town. The rain was coming down sideways all night, beating off the sliding glass doors and the windows. Then it began to hail. Shortly after the hail, the power went out. That was around midnight.

Slowly but surely it began to get hotter and hotter until I could barely stand it. At the same time lightning flashes outside were lighting up the room every 10 to 15 seconds. It was like a bad acid trip.

Eventually, the power came back on around 4am, which didn't help much since I was finally just starting to fall asleep again. I listened to some things click around and light up around the house as the juice came back and then I tried to roll over and get back to sleeping. My alarm was supposed to go off at 6am. It didn't. Not because I forgot to reset it. It has batteries in it as well as being plugged into the wall so I don't have to. I knew I didn't have to reset it because while the power was gone it was still working. But the strangest thing happened. It seemed to reset my alarm even though it kept the time. Arrgghh!!!

I woke up around 7:15am. I had to be at work at 8am. I washed my face, brushed, my hair, did the Listerine thing and went out the door. When I got to the office there wasn't a single co-workers' car in the parking lot and I simply thought,"everyone must be running late too,"

How naive, Rene. How naive.

As I'm unlocking the alleyway door into the office (I'm a backdoor man), I get a call on my work phone.

"Are you at the office yet?"

"I'm just walking in." I unlock the door and walk in. All the lights are off in the place. At the very moment that I'm realizing that the power hasn't come back to the office, I hear on my phone,"There's no power at the office yet, Rene. No one's there. I'd call back about every two hours until we find out something,"

F*ck.

So, I get back in my Ford Exploder (that's not a typo) and head back to my apartment. By the time I get home I begin to feel the fatigue from my sleepless hot sweaty night of tossing and turning. I sit down and have a bowl of cereal since I'm home. Halfway through my bowl of CoCoa Krispies I get the call to come back to the office, the power was finally back. Ugh.

When I get back to the office I walk in the front doors to see that for some reason the carpeting at the entrance is soaked to the bone. You see, the entire facade of the the office entrance is a glass wall basically, with some vertical blinds. The company name is on the glass outside - it looks rather nice. The drawback, however, is that this is an OLD building and there seems to be a sealant problem between the bottom of the glass wall and the inside of the office. As the rain came sweeping down and the wind blew it against the face of the office building throughout the night, it actually swept the water right under the glass and into the building, into the carpet. It made a nice "squish, squoosh" sound when I walked in.

When I got in my office I had to flip on the switch on my gigantoid surge protector next to my computer to get started. As I was sitting there I noticed that my phone, which hadn't been displaying on the LCD for about three months, was working! I guess it just needed a few bolts of lightning up the old wazoo.

Anyway, since then I've slept like crap all week and for some reason can't seem to fall asleep before 11am. I'm a bit of a zombie at this point really. Which is why I'm sitting here writing this, I suppose.

Hopefully, I'll hit a wall soon and can catch up on some sleep. If anything good can come out of this, at least my phone is working again... thank you, Satan. You smug bastard.

Random Thoughts 05-09-06

2006-05-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

The majority of breakfast cereals look something like this.

This is the human equivalent to dog food.

Styx in Panama City, FL

2006-05-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

I went to the Styx concert last night here in Panama City.

I was fairly excited to hear that Styx was coming to Panama City since we don't exactly draw very many entertainers or acts that I have much interest in shelling out money to see (Gallagher, Sinbad, George Jones with Confederate Railroad, etc). Styx, on the other hand, are one of my all-time favorite rock groups. They had great musicianship and some of the most uplifting rock songs of their era. Plus Tommy Shaw kicks ass.

So, I got my tickets shortly after hearing about the show on the classic rock station two months ago and in that time between getting my seats and the show itself, I listened to a few of my CDs and waited. In fact, I forgot about the show until about last week when I started hearing the DJs hype the concert again.

The show was supposed to start at 7pm. So, we drove downtown and parked near my company's office, a few blocks from the arena, about an hour before showtime. We decided that it would be easier to get out after the show if we were parked somewhere outside the arena and not trying to beat some crowd. It paid off after the show too. I would've taken my camera with me, but Cystal was positive that I wouldn't be allowed to take it in. I was pissed when I saw everyone taking pictures (I forgive you, Crystal).

When we got to the building there was naturally people there already. There was a lot of people there who were obviously older (40s-50s) as I was expecting. I mean, Styx was in there prime in the late 70s to early 80s. None the less, there were some teenagers and some people in their 20s like myself. The majority of the crowd were Baby Boomers though. I was kind of hoping for that anyway. I didn't want to have to see a show with a bunch of young obnoxious a**holes who probably only knew one song.

When we got inside there was a t-shirt stand and a bar in the lobby. Some of the other concert goers seemed to have hit the liquor cabinet before coming down to the show anyway and it seemed like most of the people getting drinks were just maintaining the buzz they brought with them. I also got a better look at some of the people. Let me say to those that might fear that the mullet is extinct: it is alive and well and it's in Panama City, Florida. So is 80s mallrat hair. I think a lot of these people were single in the mid 80s, met their significant other, and then both got frozen in time to come to the Styx concert in 2006. Some guys and girls need to learn how to transition with the times just a little bit better, ya know?

The ushers were all women (possibly from the monothilic age) in white jackets with bow ties and flashlights. Thankfully, we were able to avoid them and find our seats on our own because I think it would have taken 3 times as long with their assistance. I did get a kick out of watching them feel around in the dim lighting, even with flashlights, trying to read the numbers on the section/rows to find people's seats.

Our seats were in the middle section in the middle of the last row on the floor which were actually great seats. We had the most elevated seats on the floor, we could stand up anytime during the show, and we were still really close to the stage. I saw maybe a half dozen people near our section who were either plastered or stoned before the show started and I got a kick out of watching the sideshow of one short drunken middle-aged man yell for the show to start about 20 minutes before it was suppose to begin.

The opener was a local band called Hand Honey, an alternative rock-style band made-up of guys that go to the community college. They have kind of a small cult following in the city and play a lot of the bars and clubs on the beach throughout the year and a few shows around the Southeast states. They weren't bad. The musicianship was alright and the songs had some pretty good melodies, but the lead singer's vocals had so much reverb that I think I heard a handful of words the entire time he sang. They did about 30 minutes and then left the stage.

Then some local DJs killed some time pimping out their radio contests and talking about something I can't remember while the roadies got the stage ready for Styx. Then at 8pm, Styx came out on stage by appearing on a platform behind and above the drum riser. They didn't waste any time and opened with Blue Collar Man. Right after that they went into Grand Illusion.

The majority of the show was basically every Styx hit. They did sneak in some newer stuff, like One With Everyting, and a song they wrote to be performed with a full orchestra and choir soon.

In the middle of the show the drummer, Todd Sucherman, and the band went through an amazing 18 song medley. It covered a majority of their mid 80s material (which I'm guessing they didn't feel like playing, but didn't want to disappoint anyone). Mr. Roboto was one of the many songs.

During the show, James JY Young and Tommy Shaw were all over the stage and I don't think a single song was played exactly like the album. They went off on so many solos and breakdowns that a few times I forgot what song they were playing. But it was great stuff and the sound in the arena blew any of the studio recordings out of the water. I was trying to get my ears to pop in between a few song though. Lawrence Gowan, Dennis DeYoung's replacement, had a setup which was pretty cool with a spinning organ platform and lights covering the face of it. There seemed to be a smoke machine underneath it as well, but that may have just been the arena.

They closed the show with Come Sail Away, and the entire arena was on their feet singing along. Confetti was blasted out over the audience at the end and the band left the stage. An "encore" chant started and shortly after they came back out and played Renegade. It was an awesome show. They threw some beach balls into the crowd, some frisbees, and even some towels with Styx logos (they were kind enough to make true concert souveniers out of the towels by wiping their faces with them before tossing them to the crowd).

And it was the perfect end to a great day yesterday. I had found out earlier in the day that Crystal's starting pay at her job is astronomical, and also we found a bigger apartment right here in the complex where we live. I was in such a good mood, I can't remember the last time I felt so good. It had been awhile. During Come Sail Away, I was thinking about the day, the great news, the amazing show, and I caught a glimpse of Crystal beside me. In the moment while I was thinking about how amazing things were turning out for us and the beginning of our new journey with her career starting and everything, I began to get choked up. I seriously thought I was gonna start crying for a second. Then I pulled my sh*t together and continued singing.

During the walk back to the car, we both agreed that even DisneyWorld (where we're going in about a week) couldn't top that show, or the day. We'd take 5 days like this over 5 at DisneyWorld any day.

So, in short - if Styx comes to town, I say check 'em out. It's well worth it.

Grand Illusion and Lights (two of my favorites)

Spring Break Jesus

2006-05-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

"Panama City Beach, Florida, why have you forsaken me?" - Spring Break Jesus

Saw this guy in Shipwreck Limited out on the beach. If you're not religious I could see someone not drawing the same conclusion, but it struck me like that the second I saw it. I don't think it's intentional, just odd looking.

This is basically a filler post until I get back from the Styx concert at the Civic Arena.

"Use the "race" card, Luke!"

2006-05-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Quick question: When did Jesse Jackson start looking like Yoda from Star Wars? Is it just me?

Thunder Beach

2006-05-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Panama City Beach is having their annual Thunder Beach motorcycle rally this weekend. We were out on the beach for one hot minute today and I took a few pics. I'm starting to act like Kirk, carrying my camera with me at all times. I'm glad too because I've been getting some good stuff lately.

I'm gonna have to get some more pictures and some better ones this weekend. It should be easy to get some since there are literally lines hundreds of feet long of motorcycles parked outside every business on the beach right now.

Even some of the signage around town has been tweaked for Thunder Beach, from the obvious "Welcome Thunder Beach" signs, to the more daring "Biker Owned And Operated" sign at the BP gas station.

Should be cool.

***UPDATE***

I was out on the beach with Crystal this morning so she could look in the beach and surf shops for a Superman visor to wear on our trip to Orlando. We were honestly looking specifically for a sun visor with a Superman logo. Which made about as much sense as me jumping out of bed and running out the door this morning to find a George Formena grill signed by Muhammed Ali - a little ridiculous.

Well, needless to say our search was fruitless. Although while we were out there I got a few more shots of the riders. I notice a few things about the whole scene as well, that I'd like to share.

1) There are more black bikers than you would think, or at least than I had thought. And they usually had the best looking white biker mamas.

2) There was a nice mix of weekend bikers and the "I just got out of prison for selling meth" bikers, at Thunder Beach.

3) Biker mamas, 9 times out of 10, aren't that attractive. I saw a lot of banana breasts and "mom butt" out there. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I like a girl whose belly doesn't stick out farther than her boobs. It's just my preference.

All joking aside, most of the men and women at Thunder Beach are pretty cool people. I do wish that more of them were wearing helmets and not taking advantage of the "no helmet" law in Florida. On our way back from the beach we saw an accident in the opposite lane, looked like tow or three bikes and a pickup truck, one man was down holding his leg which seemed to be broken and he was bleeding from the head. A woman was lying about 30 feet away from him face down on the road, not moving. On our way across the bridge back into town we saw at least three seperate ambulances heading to the beach. It happens every year.

But besides a few accidents, Thunder Beach is usually just a good time with loud bikes and discount beer specials at the clubs.

And now back to the news...

2006-05-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Got in a bit later than usual tonight. Crystal, my wife, had her graduation and pinning ceremony tonight to mark her completion of the Physical Therapists Assistant program. Thank God it's actually the very last graduation and she's completely finished with college after four years. I know she's been waiting for this day for a long time now and so have I. With it all said and done, I can't tell you how nice it's gonna be to have the two of us both bringing in money again.

There wasn't that much hoopla for the graduation, just a pinning ceremony, two awards to hand out (Crystal got the Spirit Award), a slideshow (which I put together for them), and some platters of food for the friends and family. In all, I think the whole deal was about an hour long. I took tons of pictures and I'll have go through them and post a few. Oh, also the college told me that they liked the slideshow that I put together so much that they plan to use it for a promotional tool on the college website, so that's kind of cool.

Other than that, I see there's been a bunch of different stories in the news today.

Let's see, uh...

Moussaoui was sentence to life in prison. I can see the message being sent by not executing Moussaoui and making a martyr out of the potato headed bastard. I can also see how some families could feel cheated.

Al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi can't seem to work his weapon (that's what she said!). I think the footage the U.S. found came from Al Jazeera's Funniest Home Videos.

The Vatican excommunicated 4 Chinese Bishops. They were ordained without Vatican approval and now must go straight to Hell. At least that was the decision after the Pope got a call from God on his red emergency Pope-phone.

Bill Gates wishes he weren't so rich. You know, I'd like to have that complaint someday. Know what I'm saying?

According to Scott McClellan President Bush speaks el bad-o spanish-o. But reportedly this has not hampered his love of tacos. Also, apparently Stephen Colbert's (funny guy, by the way) routine at the White House press dinner didn't go over so well with W and the press in attendance, but I have to say I found it rather amusing. It was like Bush thought it was suppose to be a dinner and Colbert thought it was an episode of Yo Momma! I loved it, man.

And also, sadly Tiger Woods' father,Earl Woods, passed yesterday at the age of 74. He lived a very interesting life and wasn't a very demanding sports father, even though he helped his son become arguably the greatest to ever play the game. Probably one of the most fascinating obituaries that I've ever read.

And that's the news, folks! Lots of interesting things going on at once right now. I haven't really heard anything new in the Duke rape case since the New Black Panther party stepped onto the scene and made themselves look and sound fairly stupid on FOXnews (where else?), and on the Sean Hannity radio show (of course!). But I'm sure that will be a whole post unto itself in the future.

Videoblog: Office Tour

2006-05-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

I took a few pictures around my office today during work to give everyone an idea of what it's like where I'm at 8 to possibly 12 hours out of the day. I poked fun at some of the office supplies not working and a few other things about the place (it's an old buidling and seen better days, the company admits it), but I have to say I love my job and the people I work with, it's a great company to be with. Old equipment and all.

Besides, IT is supposedly on their way to fix all my problems soon and we're moving to a new office space in a few months.

Blog Construction

2006-05-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

I've just added a flash player to the blog as you may have noticed.

And I'm probably looking at maybe a template change in the future.

I'm not going to put a timeframe on it though since that seems to never work out with me.

**UPDATE**

I've decided to simply widen my content margins and clean up my sidebar instead (what can I say, I'm fickle). Let me know if it doesn't display properly. But there really shouldn't be any problems (unless you're one of the last people displaying at 800x600).

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

2006-05-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

I was home sick yesterday instead of at work. I got out of bed around 6 a.m. as usually do and dragged myself to the shower. I felt like death warmed over beforehand, but I thought,"hey... all you need is a shower,"

Eh... not really. I was sick. So, I called into work, which took about 30 seconds, and I wento back to bed. Well, from about 7:20 in the morning until about 2 in the afternoon, I hybernated like a tranquilized bear. I needed it and it felt great.

After I finally came out out of the bedroom and turned on the television, I decided to watch a little He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on DVD. Not the live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren (which is whole other can of worms), but the original animated series.

I bought Season 1 Volume 1 at Best Buy on Sunday and since I was laid-up in the house alone I had nothing better to do and I really didn't feel like doing anything else.

Now, before I get into defending myself for buying and watching He-Man, let me talk more about the show.

Filmation produced the show based on the action figures by Mattel in 1983-1985. Mattel wanted nothing more than a marketing device for their action figures and wasn't expecting much out of the cartoon and didn't give much in the way of a budget to produce it. With no real expectations for it, it came as a surprise to many when the animated series became a huge success.

A large amount of the success has to go to Filmation, who with a very limited budget delivered a show that was actually well animated and had good writing. The animation's solid look can be credited to the fact that several Disney animators intinially helped with the series, and also the "stock sequence" library that was amassed for the show. Many sequences were drawn very well, but were recycled to save time and money. Usually the backgrounds would be changed, or the sequence would be mirrored to give it a different angle. This technique was used heavily throughout the show. It was also a neccesity because of the production schedule of the show.

He-Man was not a Saturday morning cartoon and it was not a part of any of the major networks. It was a weekly syndicated show airing five new episodes a week, a first on both counts in the world of animation. It was also the first show to have 65 episodes ordered for it's first season, which was why time and budget were very small for the show. In all, there would be 130 episodes of the original series, and a spin-off show, She-Ra: Princess of Power.

When I was a kid I was all about the cartoon. I now know that Mattel was only using the show to sell action figures, but to me the action figures were secondary to my love for the cartoon. I watched it so often that my dad even made me a tape of episodes with the commercials cut out that I would watch constantly in Puerto Rico.

Since then I 've grown older, gotten married, and started a career. But I'm still nostalgic about my childhood and the things that made it fun. When I saw the box-set at Best Buy I was genuinely excited and if that sounds stupid I really don't care. I wanted to the see the show again, man.

Now, I've heard people say things about He-Man, like - "It's the most homoerotic cartoon ever made...". Hmmm. What exactly does that even mean? Look, I watched the show as a kid because of the action/adventure. Back then I didn't even know what "gay" was! I never saw anything strange. Now as an adult, I've watched some of it again and I still don't see what the hell people are talking about! Is it because He-Man's body isn't completely covered and sometimes he picks up a rock and throws it, or struggles with a falling drawbridge? I mean, honestly, if you get a half-chub because a cartoon barbarian lifts something over his head, that's your problem, not mine. I think "homoerotic" is another word for someone saying "I felt funny and didn't like it", or "that show brings out my homophobia - BURN IT!!!" Some people, man - see the "gay" in everything!

I know a lot of people prefer Transformers or G.I. Joe to He-Man and that's cool, I understand. They're actually superior shows. But I always thought of Masters of the Universe as the "Little Engine That Could" and I stick by it. Plus, I genuinely enjoy it for all it's accomplishments and all it's flaws. It reminds me of my childhood and that's something I always enjoy. Does that make me weird? I don't think so.

I still like beer. I still like sex (with grown women). I just also happen to like a cartoon.

BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL.... I HAVE THE POWER!!!!

Pity the Fool...

2006-05-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

Pity the Fool Who Doesn't Listen to Mr. T
Tuesday, May 02, 2006

NEW YORK — If Dr. Phil can dispense advice, why not Mr. T?

The TV Land network announced Tuesday that it will start "I Pity the Fool," a series where "The A-Team" star travels across the country dispensing inspiration and advice.

"The 'T' stands for talking," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm going to talk it up. It's what I've been doing all my life."

The series starts in October. He'll offer help to people struggling with personal or professional problems.

"My show ain't no 'Dr. Phil,' with people sitting around crying," he said. "You're a fool — that's what's wrong with you. You're a fool if you don't take my advice."

When I read a story like this it puts a smile on my face and assures me that there is a God... and he likes to make me giggle.

Mr. T will always be the man in my book and I hope his show does well.

United 93

2006-05-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this article on FOXnews.com and found it odd. Read it and see if you notice the same thing.

'RV' Tops 'United 93' at Box Office
Sunday, April 30, 2006

LOS ANGELES — Audiences hit the road with Robin Williams as his family-vacation romp "RV" opened at No. 1 with $16.4 million, while the acclaimed Sept. 11 drama "United 93" debuted with $11.6 million.

Studio estimates Sunday had Universal Pictures' "United 93" in second place, just ahead of Disney's sports comedy "Stick It," which premiered with $11.3 million. Those rankings could change once final numbers are released Monday.

The weekend's other new wide release, Lionsgate's spelling-bee drama "Akeelah and the Bee," was No. 8 with $6.25 million.

The 20th Century Fox release "RV" was expected to debut on top, but "United 93" had been an unknown quantity, with Hollywood analysts wondering whether movie-goers were ready to relive the horrors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's not about the positioning of the film. It's about the fact that the American public spoke out," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal Pictures. "This is a wonderful result. What they said was that it wasn't too soon for a film about Sept. 11."

Married couples accounted for just over half the "United 93" audience, and 71 percent of viewers were 30 and older, according to Universal.

With painstaking authenticity, "United 93" recounts the horrific end of passengers who fought back against their hijackers aboard one of the commandeered planes, which crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

Families of those killed aboard Flight 93 cooperated with director Paul Greengrass ("The Bourne Supremacy," "Bloody Sunday"), who re-creates the experiences of passengers and air-traffic controllers in a documentary-style drama. "United 93" earned widespread praise from critics.

Shot on a modest budget of $15 million, "United 93" should easily turn a profit once theatrical, television and DVD revenues are tallied. Universal said it will donate 10 percent of the first weekend's grosses to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

Playing in 1,795 theaters, about half as many as "RV," "United 93" averaged a solid $6,462 a cinema, the best results among the top-10 movies.

"We can now kind of put to bed any idea that people are not ready to see this type of movie. The numbers speak for themselves," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Coming this August is Hollywood's second Sept. 11 dramatization, Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage in the story of two Port Authority policemen trapped in the rubble of the twin towers.

"RV," starring Williams as a dad taking his family on a slapstick-filled vacation, debuted in 3,639 theaters and averaged $4,507. The gymnastics tale "Stick It," starring Missy Peregrym and Jeff Bridges, averaged $5,523 in 2,038 theaters.

Overall business rose for the sixth-straight weekend, with the top-12 movies taking in $90.7 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year. After a big slump in 2005, attendance is running 4 percent ahead of last year's, with Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible III" opening Friday and kicking off what is expected to be a huge summer at the movies.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "RV," $16.4 million.

2. "United 93," $11.6 million.

3. "Stick It," $11.3 million.

4. "Silent Hill," $9.3 million.

5. "Scary Movie 4," $7.8 million.

6. "The Sentinel," $7.6 million.

7. "Ice Age: The Meltdown," $7.05 million.

8. "Akeelah and the Bee," $6.25 million.

9. "The Wild," $4.7 million.

10. "The Benchwarmers," $4.4 million.

What caught my attention was this - I've never read an article where so many people were applauding a major motion picture for making a little more than $10 million on it's opening weekend. Even low-bugdet action films starring The Rock weren't considered to be major triumphs after making more than $15 million on opening weekend!

First, it's obviously "spin". Possibly trying to get people who still haven't seen it to go and check it out. Or maybe so Hollywood can hedge their bets for when the next 9/11 movie comes out, so it's not dismissed - from "guilt by association". Whatever the thought behind it it's obviously "spin". Hollywood doesn't give so much praise to so little an accomplishment. It may also be Hollywood trying to drum-up justification for their cashing-in on this tragedy so soon.

They say more than once that this is proof that America is ready for 9/11 on the big screen, but I would say it's the total opposite. In fact, I'd have to say - at $10 million, this movie is a failure. More people weanted to see Robin Williams sticking to the front of an RV than wanted to watch Flight 93 crash in a Pennsylvannia field. I really don't find that very surprising. I rarely walk into an obvious "downer" of a situation when heading into the theater.

Back to the subject of spin - don't let it it be lost that I do realize that I found this article on FOXnews.com. Many people will tell you that FOXnews is blatantly slanted to the right. I don't disagree. I don't think it's as bad as some believe, but I do see the slant on a daily basis on the cable news channel. I see the same thing to the left on CNN as well. I'm not surprised to see this on FOX, I just think it was too apparent in it's agenda to not stand out on their website as another biased piece.

Whatever the reasoning behind it, I think it's lame on all counts. I was hoping for United 93 to not do well because I think it's obvious that it's being done simply as a way to make money off human suffering at this point - well done or not. And some may call it a success at $10 million, but I completely disagree and I'm glad that people saw it for what it was and chose not to be sucked in. Hopefully, World Trade Center, coming out later in the summer, will do just as well.

If you agree, disagree, or saw the United 93, I'd like to hear what you think.

Thanks.

Hibachi, baby!

2006-04-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

I went to the MORI Japanese Steakhouse last night.

It was my first time going to one of the Japanese Steakhouses around Panama City Beach, and I must say I wasn't disappointed.

The MORI has one of the nicest atmospheres for a restaurant that I've seen around the city. There was a beautiful wooden bridge over a shrub and rock garden on the exterior, and a wide hallway with large glass windows from the front doors to the main interior.

When we seated we were placed next to a large family on vacation. I didn't think to ask where they were from, but they sounded like they were from Alabama, really nice people. Our soup and salad before the meal were both very good and the atmosphere around the room was very pleasant.

Shortly after our soup and salad, our chef came over. He was a young guy, very charming demeanor. He went through his whole routine of flames, knife juggling, egg spinning, and everything. He told a few jokes and made some little things on the side for a birthday girl at our table (a heart from fried rice, a flaming tiered cake from an onion). While he went through the whole thing, cooking for the nine people at our table, I didn't take my eyes off the chef for 45 minutes. And to top it all off - my steak and shrimp were fantastic, man!

It was a good time and needless to say, I'll be going back fairly soon.

Inspirational School Poster: Yearbook

2006-04-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Next time go in with a game plan, Pete!

Illegal Immigrant Debate

2006-04-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

I've decided to be fairly quiet about the whole illegal immigrant issue lately because I honestly didn't care about it very much. I also didn't see these rallies and the news coverage at the moment as something that would really change a single thing. Well, I thought I could just continue to ignore it, but recently it's just gotten too annoying for me not to say something.

Ok... well, it's actually been obnoxious from the very beginning to me when I saw people marching in the street. Not because U.S. immigrants were under attack. Not because U.S. immigrants were being denied their civil rights. Not because U.S. immigrants were being deported. But, because ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS (you might as well just say Mexicans) were going to be considered felons and sent back to their contry of origin.

Sorry, but even as a fellow Latino (Puerto Rican) I can't support such nonsense. Demanding that a country give you "full rights" when you're not even a citizen of that country is ridiculous. It's like kicking in someone's backdoor, walking in, and then demanding to have dinner at the dining room table with the family simply because you're in the house now. It doesn't work like that, it's never worked like that, and it never should!!! If you want "full... rights" then try coming here "the... right... way!!!".

It really wasn't the marching that got me pissed off, I just thought that was simply childish. It's been the more recent things. Like Senator Ted Kennedy comparing this situation to the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. Ted, I'm sure all the black American citizens who were lynched, lived through segregation, were beaten and attacked by police, and gave their lives to have the rights they were denied by their own country, would appreciate being compared to some people who jumped a fence (sarcasm, of course).

Or like liberals taking offense to these people being called,"illegal immigrants", and saying that they are simply,"immigrants". If that's the case, why do we even have immigration law?! If there's no difference in the two, why defend the border?! Oh yeah, that's NOT how it works because that's ludicrous. If you don't like the "illegal" label, then don't come here "illegally". Idiots, man.

I think the last straw for me, was this new Spanish-version Star Spangled Banner with new whiney-ass lyrics. I think at this point, any mainstream support that illegal immigrants had has been eroded with this kind of constant bitching and bastardizing of American symbology.

Oh... and don't let me forget the whole - "There's no such thing as LEGAL immigrants" b.s. Yes, actually there is such a thing. You might think we stole this country from the native americans or that we came here illegally, but no country existed when we came here, and the native americans didn't believe in land ownership, so they didn't try to claimed it until they were basically slaughtered. Doesn't make what we did to the native americans right, or justified. But it doesn't make us all "illegal".

Besides that, let me say, I don't have anything against Mexicans or immigrants. But, I'm not going to listen to the loud cry of a group of people who broke the law to be here in the first place and now want amnesty. It's not right, or fair to the people who do come here legally. If they can't understand that, then I don't want them to be called "Americans" anyway. We already have enough whiners in this country, we don't need to start importing them too.

I just felt like I needed to go on the record and say how I feel about this since it keeps dragging on and on.

It seems to have pissed off someone near the top too, since the raids on businesses have been stepped up a bit also. I think this entire thing is going to set Latinos back in this country, and YES, I blame illegals for it. Sorry, but that's my opinion and the opinion of most of my friends.

PTA Graduation Video

2006-04-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

My wife, Crystal, is finally graduating from college after four years - as a Physical Therapists Assistant - in about a week. At the pinning ceremony they usually play a Power Point presentation of some photos from the graduating class. Well, the task of doing a video fell to my wife and another girl, a friend, in the class to make it. And since it fell on them... it fell on me.

I decided to do a WindowsMediaVideo file instead and use some music. It came out pretty good for something I didn't really spend much time on. I like how it turned out so much that I'm planning to try and do the same thing with some pictures (wedding, honeymoon, vacation, work, etc.).

Uncle Juni

2006-04-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

I went to my dad's house last night and saw my Uncle Juni. He came up to Panama City Beach from Oralndo to see my dad and everyone while he's on vaction. He's really over here from Puerto Rico for a job interview for a draftsman position in Kissimee, but he's kind of making a vaction out of it while he's here, which is cool.

I haven't seen my Uncle Juni in a very very long time. I'm 24 now, I'm not sure I had even gone through puberty the last time I saw him! But he's was a cool uncle when I was a kid, I can remember. He use to buy me RC cars and trucks and then take me to get batteries. He'd open his sun roof and let me stand on the seat and stick my head out.

He's really easy going too. I think I can relate to that, I'm the same way. My dad - not so laid back, ha ha. He's definitely the more uptight one of the two, but still the greatest.

We talked about work since me and my uncle do the same thing professionally. We had a few beers and talked about the companies in the area, and our experiences doing what we do. It was really a good time.

Then we had dinner - Puerto Rican red beans and rice with grilled steak on the side. I'm telling you, man, you can;t beat that with anything. It was delicious, as usual, my stepmom Wanda is a great cook.

Afterward, I got to talk to my little brother and sister, Christopher and Isabel. He's still playing a nauseating amount of video games. He's also playing soccer as well. Isabel, I found out was on her school swim team and had some swim meets coming up soon. I plan to try and be there and check it out.

Once we left my dad's house, we headed on over to Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping and come home. I think it was about 1am when we finally got to sleep. Another a good trip to my dad's.

We call my uncle "Juni" because he was named after my grandfather, Jesus. Juni - short for Junior.

Discount Megapixels

2006-04-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

You know sometimes it pays to be a cheap skate. Like when it comes to technology.

I have a digital camera. Like just about everyone else I know. The only difference is I bought mine on sale about a year ago. Everyone seems to have 6, 7, or 8 megapixels at this point. Me... I'm running at a mere 3.2.

But, honestly... who cares?! Digital cameras are so sharp, even at 3.2, that I really could care less for more pixels. I don't need that. Plus, as I found out earlier today, it's quite easier to save money with an older camera.

As I've said, sometimes it pays off. I've had my camera for about a year, maybe a bit longer. But I've never bothered to get a larger memory card for the thing. I could only hold about 32 pictures. Well, we went to Target to finally buy one since we're going on vacation to Orlando soon and we wanted to finally use the camera to it's fullest. We looked around the electronics department and found the one we needed for our camera on a discount shelf. I'm guessing they don't sell alot of them. Well, for $25, we went from 32 pictures - to 553 pictures. Which is pretty hard to beat.

I've been going picture crazy all morning since. I'm gonna have to upload some of it. The video stuff, too. I'm having too much fun.

Happy Easter

2006-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Salad in '08

2006-04-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

Campaign video for fictional character, Alan Salad.

18 months for Murder

2006-04-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 7, 2006
Last modified Wednesday, April 5, 2006 11:22 AM EDT

Driver must serve 18-month jail term in traffic accident that killed woman
City man pleads guilty in separate case involving two fatalities
From Staff Reports
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 11:22 AM EDT

CUMBERLAND - A Cumberland man has been sentenced to serve 18 months in jail and another city man is awaiting sentencing in connection with two separate crashes last year that claimed three lives. Peter A. Rosskamp, 53, was sentenced by Judge Gary G. Leasure to three years in the Division of Correction with 18 months suspended after he was convicted in Allegany County Circuit Court of negligent homicide by motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol.

The jail term is to be served in the Allegany County Detention Center.

Rosskamp, who pleaded guilty, was also sentenced to four years of supervised probation upon his release from jail, ordered to pay $455 in restitution and perform 50 hours of community service, speaking to civic groups about his case.

Rosskamp was convicted in the Oct. 14 accident on Greene Street that claimed the life of Ashley Marie Merced, 21, of Cumberland. Merced was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by Nathan Alan Dolan, 23, of Cumberland that was struck by a truck operated by Rosskamp. Dolan was injured in the crash.

Rosskamp left the scene of the accident but then turned himself into city police the next morning. Cumberland Police conducted the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by State's Attorney Michael Twigg. Rosskamp was represented by Cumberland attorney George McKinley.

In another report, Chad Jordan Robertson, 26, of Cumberland pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent man-slaughter by motor vehicle and exceeding speed of 104 mph in a 50-mph zone.

Robertson entered the plea in Allegany County Circuit Court before Judge W. Timothy Finan through Attorney Mike Stankan of the Public Defender's Office.

Finan ordered a presentencing investigation by the Maryland Department of Parole and Probation.

Robertson entered the plea in connection with charges stemming from the Feb. 16, 2005, accident on U.S. Route 220 at Danville that resulted in the death of Robertson's passenger, Christopher Donald McCoole, 20, of McCoole, and the driver of the northbound car, Paul Bender, 39, Bedford, Pa.

Maryland State Police reported that Robertson was driving southbound at a high rate of speed when he passed another automobile by driving on the shoulder, eventually clipping it and spinning into the path of a northbound car operated by Bender.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorney Mark Alexander.

A short message to the IT Dept.

2006-04-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

My PC is back!

2006-04-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Finally my Computer is back at my house and running!

Maybe I'll be able to post something now...

Victory!

2006-03-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, folks, victory. For you see... I got a pay raise at work!

I seem to be very fortunate in my timing as of late. Everyone is leaving the company again, and if I hadn't recieved this pay raise I would have been one of the many. So far, I've managed to get my pay increased by 30% over the past year and a half. That would be impressive in some instances, but after my 30% increase that I've worked for, I'm merely making what someone in my position should have been making from the beginning.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy going to work and I like the people I work with, but the overall company needs to awaken and realize what time period we're in, and start paying accordingly. I'm content now for the moment, but in all honesty, I don't see myself working for this company in ten years... in fact, five might also be a bit much.

But that's 5-10 years down the road. Right now I'm a man with more money in his pocket per hour and that's always something to toast to!

(holds up mug of beer)

To all the men and women in the struggle, day after day. We're all running on the same hamster wheel for a pellet, trying to get that piece of the dream. One rung at a time, climbing to the middle(lol)! Well, today I got one rung higher and damned if it doesn't make the air taste sweeter and the sun shine brighter on my face! Nothings makes a person feel better than to see their stock rise, to see their daily expenses become ever so slightly less expensive. It's all we want, it's all we ask for. Well, brothers and sisters, I got one more crumb and in a few more years I might just have myself a cupcake! Cheers to us all!

Inspirational School Posters: Driver's Education

2006-02-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

"Pimp, Garth, Pimp"

Dad's Birthday Party

2006-02-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

I went to my Dad's Birthday party last night. It was a lot of a fun, man.

There was a lot of food, music, and plenty of drink. I watched my stepmother try to teach the white girls at the party how to shake it, and how to say a few spanish phrases. My dad was dancing in the living room almost the entire night while the music never stopped. I mingled and laughed a bit with my dad's friends and had a few beers. Me and my dad both vented about work and how we were thinking of looking around and moving on to newer places. I can't recall us ever having a conversation about work where we spoke as equals "in the daily struggle" and not father and son. It was nice, I really liked the feeling I got when I reflected on it shortly after.

I talked to my little brother while I there for a while also. That lucky little punk was showing me his new video game chair with the speakers and subwoofer built into it. We talked a little bit of wrestling and played some games. He's still a "mark" for the stuff they do on TV in the wrestling show, and I tried to "smarten him up" a little bit before I left.

Saw my younger sister as well and she was quiet as usual and was chatting with her friends through MySpace. I went over there and read her MySpace page and I found it very enlightening. I haven't had a chance to spend that much time with her in the last few years since moving out, and after reading a bit I realized I really don't know her very well anymore. Of course, it's always hard to know a young teen unless you are that teen, or you're in their circle of friends.

Before heading home my dad and I had the usual talk about me coming by more often and I felt guilty like I always do afterward, we hugged, said "I love you", and I drove home. I was given a bag of food to take home like always and most of it is gone already... as usual. Good food must be eaten, not refrigerated, I always say.

It was one of the more entertaining nights at my dad's in a long time. I probably had more to drink than I've ever had while I was there, and I left about an hour after my last drink to come home to my wife. She stayed at the house after doing laundry at her mother's house and feeling sick when she came home. I gave her the cake in the bag and gave her a kiss.

Then we went to the bedroom, read our books for about a half an hour, turned off the lights, and went to sleep. It was good Saturday.

VideoBlog

2006-02-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

The Unofficial First Episode

I say Unofficial because it's early, and it's a complete "work in progress". It's so raw, that I'd expect the proceeding editions to seems totally different in tone and delivery as I find my direction. And probably about ten minutes shorter with less audio of me saying,"Uh...".

EPISODE ONE:
Dick Cheney
Weed in Washington State
Canada & Pornography

Until then, this is what it is, so tell me what you think.

In Memory

2006-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

My little brother Josh recently sent me this picture in an e-mail and I felt like posting/sharing it. I think came out pretty good.

My brother Mike asked me where my tattoo was, and all I could do was laugh. I don't have a single tattoo, and besides that I doubt I could find a spot on my body not covered in wolverine-like hair to put one lol!

Video Segment coming soon... hopefully

2006-02-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

I say hopefully because I've already had problems with youtube deleting some of my uploaded files.

Also, I've been ridiculously absent as of late and the SS9090 Blogger awards are still coming.

Royal Rumble

2006-01-27T19:31:00.000-08:00

I decided to get the Royal Rumble Pay Per View this weekend. Which is kind of a big deal since I haven't watched a single WWE Pay Per View since last year's Wrestlemania XXI almost a year ago. But the last few weeks of TV have slowly gotten better each week, and I've usually enjoyed the Rumble even when the shows haven't been that good so... we'll see.

I honestly blame myself for not enjoying wrestling as much as I did as a kid. When you learn all the tricks of a trade and go out of your way to read the storyline spoilers online, how CAN you actually suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the show, instead of being more a critic and not a spectator. I've been trying harder lately to allow myself to just enjoy it.

I usually watch the Royal Rumble because if you think about it, it's really a hard concept to screw up because it's so simple. 30 men draw numbers and enter the ring one at a time every few minutes. The object of the Rumble being to toss the other opponents over the tope rope to the floor, thus eliminating them. And when only one man is left in the ring, he's won the Rumble and a title shot at Wrestlemania.

And in honor of my newfound optimism in WWE's product I felt like sharing this video file on my Putfile.com account. The video is a music montage of former Ring Of Honor star CM Punk. I love this video so much, especially the wrestling action toward the end. It's guy like CM Punk that give me hope for wrestling in the future.

Plus, the Coldplay song, Fix You, is a great tune. Enjoy.

Click here to watch 'CM-Punk'

Blog updates

2006-01-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

I haven't forgotten, The SilverSurfer9090 Blogger Awards are still coming before the end of the month, and I'm currently in talks with my brother Josh about his Stories From The Vault article.

I may, however, be posting an alternate subject first. I want to get his right.

Thanks.

Up with Hope, Down with Dope!

2006-01-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

Where to begin.

I tried to hook my nephew-in-law up with a job. Survey Department can't seem to find a single person to answer the classified ad we've had in the paper for months. So, I figured what the hell, he's not working at the moment, maybe I could hook him up.

Well, as it turned out they decided to hire him, he just needed to take a urine test. Unfortunately, my nephew-in-law is an avid user of the mary jane. Which, isn't the biggest deal in the world considering that there are several guys in the company that have known reputations. The only difference being those guys have already passed their initial drug test.

So, my nephew-in-law politely asks,"Can I score some of your piss?"

Uh... let me see... no.

Sorry friends, but I'm not going to urinate into a condom and attempt to tie a knot in it like some kind of f-ed up water balloon! I'm a flexible and accommodating fella, but I have limits, people!

Long story short, he tried to cheat the test sans my pee donation, and he failed. In fact, he failed miserably. My boss came into my office and shut the door. I said what's up? And proceeded to tell me that C****'s drug test came back and that it was "hot". I asked how hot, and he gestured to toward the Christmas stocking I still had in my office and said,"about that hot right there."

I think I got a little too much pleasure in telling C**** over the phone that he was finished. But you know what, I felt entitled to my slight pleasure because I did someone a favor, and I was then asked to compromise myself and what I've worked for.

So let this be a lesson to you, boys and girls. Cheaters never win, and potheads never get off the couch.

Dream analysis: t-shirts

2006-01-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

I had a rather odd dream the other night and I felt that maybe I should share it with others and get their take on it.

I dreamt that I was in a place that looked kinda like a New York subway, and I was selling t-shirts like somekind of 1920s paperboy ("t-shirts, t-shirts, get ya t-shirts here!"). The shirts were yellow with red graphics and lettering on them, I can't recall what exactly they said, but I did know for some reason that they were for a mexican restaurant.

Now, I must also add that my sales associate with me in the subway was Collin Farrell. We were standing side by side doing our sales pitches to the folks as they passed us. I don't know why he would want to sell t-shirts to a mexican restaurant with me, but he was in this dream, selling mexican t-shirts with me. Not to blow my own dream horn or anything, but I think Collin and I were doing pretty brisk sales.

Then, someone walking by grabs my t-shirts and starts running. Collin goes after him in pursuit and I also go after the guy, but I use my hover board (it doesn't look like the one in Back To The Future II, more like a boogie board), anyway I hit the guy with my hover board and he goes tumbling down some subway steps and we get my shirts back. Only now all my shirts have some kind of red stain on them.

Me and Collin take the shirts back to the mexican restaurant and we have one of the shirts spread out on a table. All the waiters and the owners are there and we're all pacing around the table looking at the shirt. Then, it comes to me!

We need to shorten the name of the restaurant on the shirts, and we should also incorporate the red stain into the design, and we should mention the restaurant's "world famous salsa"! Everyone in the restaurant begins awing at this suggestion, and the mexicans are saying,"salsa, salsa, si", as they shake their heads agreeingly. Handshakes and backpats are handed out to everyone!

Honestly, I don't know what the hell this dream means. Maybe, I had too much mexican food last week. Or maybe I saw Collin Farrell on TV or something. T-shirts? I don't plan on selling any t-shirts, not by choice anyway. Any ideas? The next time I have a dream like this I'll have it to post it as well. Maybe this could uncover something interesting about my mind? Maybe I'm just weird.

Yes, I like The Care Bears

2006-01-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

I downloaded this off of Limewire the other day and I felt like sharing. I've always liked this song, and I hadn't heard it in years.

Click here to listen to 'Care Bears - Forever Young'

Actually, to be honest, when I was a kid I really liked The Care Bears, I think more than any of my brothers or sisters. I think it was during the period of time when we had the Disney Channel (remember back in the day when you had to pay for it?). I was into all kinds of Kiddie shows, Dumbo's Circus and the live-action Winnie The Pooh show.

I was totally into the two Care Bears movies at the time as well. In fact, I can remember during the ending of the first movie when one of the characters was injured, the Care Bears turned to the screen and said that if we all "cared" together we might be able to help. Then they asked the kids at home to say,"we care, we care," along with them to help. I was so into it I remember actually chanting along with The Care Bears. God, that's embarrassing just to recollect.

I forgot what a sucker I had been for those bears until I was watching my Simpsons DVDs and saw Lisa watching the Happiest Little Elves, and it brought the Care Bears and the Smurfs all back to me. Being into sappy baby junk is part of being a little kid, and I sometimes miss being able to feel that way, the way I felt about cartoon bears helping kids, when I was much younger. It kind of reminds you of innocence lost. It's sad.

(sighs) Well, I suppose on the bright side, now that this is out in the public finally, no one can black mail me with it!

Inspirational School Posters: Extracurricular Activities

2006-01-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Chorus, Art Club, The Debate Team... they welcome everyone who wouldn't want to be on the football team, children! We ALL have a place.

In the Office: My PC has down syndrome

2006-01-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

I've been hitting up my blog from work the last few days recently. At first, it was just for fun, but it's slowly become my only option at the moment. My Dell Dimension desktop has been so freakin' frustrating lately! It's only a year old, by the way.

Back in November the DVD drive decided to stop reading. Since then, it's been impossible to get someone at Dell to simply fix the thing since it's still under warranty. I've been on the phone with a few different people at Dell and each time they want me to do things like go into Safe Mode and Modem tests that I've done already.

So, finally we were told to re-install the Operating System. I don't mind doing that, I just knew it was gonna be pain to get all the junk off the PC I wanted to back-up before doing so (too many MP3s, my friends). Well, long story short, the drive still doesn't work and I'm ready to kill the next person I see with a waffle iron and a roll of duct tape (don't ask).

I almost forgot, whereever Dell's help center is, it is NOT the United States of America. If you ever have to call them you get someone speaking stilted english and you'll hear something in the background that sounds like Bangladesh fish market. I'm tempted to just call up Geek Squad or some other nerd-for-hire. Anyone ever use of those groups? I've never heard anything good or bad about them.

Other than that, life is peachy. Enjoyed a delicious stuffed chicken breast with wild rice, and corn and creamed spinach on the side for lunch in my office. mmm.

Got my MP3 player hooked-up to the work PC, and put it on shuffle. Enjoying the surprise of hearing Final Countdown by Europe.

Back to work...

In the Office: La Fiesta III

2006-01-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

So, today I make it to lunch with everyone. La Fiesta III for the second time this week. Don't get me wrong, it's great Mexican food. I will not, however, be making the lunch trip again this week if it is La Fiesta. I have limits, people.

Cranking out the drawings today. Handling field problems over the phone as well. Solid day.

I read on the internet news about the West Virginia miners. Last night before I went to bed I watched some coverage where they said 12 survivors, 1 dead. It's sad to hear that it was actually the other way around. It's a shame that only through some kind of disaster it seems that the rest of America is able to sympathize with the trials and sacrifices of our country's blue collar working class. I don't recall any other time when they get the spotlight.

Life goes on, and the world keeps turning. And my workload awaits. Peace out!

In The Office: how fantastic

2006-01-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was asked to sign a piece of paper to either decline to join the company Healthcare plan, keep my current plan, or opt for the newer plan. I decided that I wanted to stay in the same plan so I signed where I was told. Today, I'm told I need to sign in the OTHER spot, or I would be declining to stay in my Healthcare plan. Pff, morons. I'm glad they caught the mistake or I may have gone postal up in here with a blowtorch and a salad fork! (imagine the carnage)

I just went into the restroom. The button came off my pants. It's funny that it just happened because I was just thinking to myself,"I really am due to feel stupid."

Since resolving that issue, I've noticed that everyone's gone to lunch without me. Damn!

There's a beer in my fridge at home calling my name RIGHT NOW! "Rene, hurry home! We need to talk. You wouldn't believe what the stick butter is trying to talk the cucumber into! I need to pour out the contents of my soul to you!"

Me, too. Ha!

The Chronic(what!)les of Narnia

2006-01-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

The Chronic of Narnia Rap

Once in awhile SNL still does something funny.

Stories From the Vault: My sister Ashley

2006-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

My sister Ashley was always the most mischievous of all us kids. She wasn’t a brat or, just bad to be bad. Ashley was just adventurous, restless, and very strong-willed. Of course, when she got into her teenage years, she did get into some stupid things (just like me), but she still was never the kind of kid that you thought was trying to hurt others or honestly cause trouble. She was just so free-spirited that trouble always seemed to find her. Ashley always had to do her own thing and figure things out for herself, that’s just how she was. I can remember when Ashley was still in Pre-K, she would wake up before everyone else and pick out her own clothes and get dressed herself. And you couldn’t make her wear something else. Even when she was a baby she had to go against our mom in the funniest little ways.

I can remember when Ashley was still sleeping in her crib and we shared a room, my mom would lay Ashley down to go to sleep and she would wait for our mom to leave the room to climb out. I was lying in bed on the other side of the room with my head on my pillow, watching Ashley shimmy her chubby little body down the side of the crib to the floor. Sure enough, five minutes later mom was putting her back in the crib telling her to go to sleep. After mom would stand there for a moment and watch Ashley, she would leave the room. Then her little head would pop-up again. She pretended to fall asleep. Again she would shimmy over the rail and get to the floor and sneak back downstairs. And again five minutes later mom would bring her back into her crib, then raising the rail as high as it would set. Then mom would actually watch Ashley for about fifteen minutes. Then she would go back downstairs . . . yeah, Ashley would get up and still climb out of the crib.

Besides never wanting to go to sleep when she was suppose to Ashley would also like to be the one to be missing and when mom or someone would find her she would always be doing something she shouldn’t be doing.

There was period of time in the late 80s when my mom and us were living on the farm of my brother Josh’s dad. The place was huge, land, barns, silos, corn fields, tractors, sheep, horses, cows, dogs, snakes, ducks, the whole deal. Ashley was constantly disappearing, and we would be ordered to find her. At first, it was hard to find her, but after awhile I began to see the pattern and knew where to find her. All I had to do was go out to the red wood barn behind the house because that’s where the dry dog food was. Ashley liked to eat the dog food (she would kill me if she read this!). Once, I caught her eating dog food, sitting Indian-style by the bowl with her back to the door. There was a large knothole in the door and I stuck my head through it to get her attention. She got up and ran out of the barn, but my head was stuck in the door. I remember Josh’s dad putting his foot on the door and pushing while he had his hands around my ankles, my legs in the air, to yank me out.

The moment Josh was born we were not with Josh’s dad and we were back in Cumberland. Ashley was a little older but was still chubby with short wire-y black hair (back then we called her Chippy because mom said she had chipmunk cheeks). And it’s also when Ashley seemed to go through a “bathroom” phase of sorts. She would disappear as usual, but she would always end up in the bathroom. She would either be covered in hand lotion from head-to-toe or she would be sticking or flushing something down the toilet. Once, my mom actually found Ashley with her head IN the toilet and her legs sticking up the air. I can recall one time that my mom was holding a VHS tape and pointing a blow dryer at it, praying, because Ashley decided to take a movie rental and put in the toilet for some reason.

A little while past that time Ashley got into her more obnoxious phase of stealing change. I couldn’t leave ten damned pennies on my dresser without them vanishing moments later. But it wasn’t just my change, it was everyone’s change. She had a piggy bank in her room and once the money got in there, you couldn’t get it out. So if she got some money and put it in her bank it was hers and that was it. Once I caught her leaving my room as I walking up the stairs. “What do you got?!” I said.

“Nuthin’”

I noticed her chubby little paw clenched shut by her side.

“Gimme my money, Ashley!”

“No!”

She started running towards her room but I caught her and pulled her little hand open and got my 75 cents back. It was a small victory to say the least because I’m sure she had about ten dollars of my money in that bank. When I walked out of the room we both gave each other this look that said,”This is far from over, pal”.

I believe it was after that period of time that Ashley started showing her rebellious side in school. Around that time, in elementary school, she bit the Principal, ran away and hid until it was time to go home.

She also started going over to our neighbor’s house more often and was, in a way, almost adopted into their family. We lived next door to Mary and her daughters Nissa and Angel. They’re great people, and we would come over to play Atari games (remember Atari, kids?). We all would go over there from time to time, but Ashley was always there, spending the night on the weekends, going shopping, and a bunch of stuff I probably can’t think of because I wouldn’t know about it because I was out riding my bike and doing something completely different. It would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship and family for Ashley. She also seemed to finally get away from being a chubby little girl and was getting taller and skinnier and becoming a young woman.

A few years later, we had moved across town and I was nearing the end of high school, and Ashley was in high school too, but she was going to the alternative school because she got into trouble too many times. I was actually mad about the alternative school thing because I thought it like a damn reward! She gets in trouble, so they send her to a school that makes you do less work, and you only to have to go for half a day. Of course, she still got in trouble there, and she got to go half a day only three times a week! What?! Whatever.

Around that time, however, me and Ashley started to hang out with each other a little more. Although, she would still swipe things, like my Limp Bizkit CD and my blue double chamber bong with the slide hitter. I got so mad I actually went to my mom and told her that Ashley stole my bong (that is the most embarrassing white trash sentence I’ve ever written about myself). I never saw either one again. That was also the same time period when I had $15 sitting on my dresser and it went missing. I go into my sister’s room and there she was sitting on the bed listening to music. “What do you want?” she said.

“You know what, my $15.”

“I didn’t take your money” she said in a way that I knew she was lying. And I think she knew it too.

I was so frustrated, that I simply threatened to break all her CDs if she didn’t give me my money back.

“Fine then.” she said. She had all kinds of pictures all over her bedroom wall. So many in fact, that she even had pictures on the ceiling. She stood up on the bed and reach inside a collage she had made in the shape of the Wu-Tang Clan symbol and gave me my money.

We were both doing the wrong things at the time. We were both smoking weed and drinking with friends. But, we were also talking with each other when we weren’t swiping something from each other. I remember one Friday night Ashley was actually at the house (a rare occasion even on a weeknight) and I told her I had some beer in the bedroom. She told me she had some weed. So, we went into my bedroom, turned on the black light and played Al Green on the stereo real low. I had a six pack of Budweiser under the bed. We sat there in the dark drinking and smoking, talking softly and giggling. This was also during the period of time that I had to share a room with my younger brother Josh. While we were doing this, Josh was actually sleeping on the bed above us. The room was filled with smoke. I remember turning to Ashley, pointing upward and saying,”He’s gonna have some f*cked up dreams tonight!”, and laughing together. Josh knows about it now, but let me still say again - Sorry, Josh.

Also, around this time Ashley went through probably the wildest period I can think of. She was doing things that I knew better than to try, like huffing. Without a doubt, the most surreal moment I can think of in my life occurred during this period of time.

I had been out partying, getting stone cold destroyed with my friends Matt and Freddy. Well, when we got back to my street for Matt to drop me off, the entire street (and I’m not exaggerating) was covered with police patrol cars up and down the entire street, sitting there with their lights going. Matt and Freddy made some joke about them being at my house and let me out and drove off. I started walking up the street with my CD book under my arm, my eyes bloodshot, and high as a kite. I get halfway up the street when I hear screams and I look up to see my mom running towards me. “Rene! Rene! It’s Ashley, they can’t find her!”

I looked in front of me and saw the police going through a car parked on the side of the street. All four doors were open and plastic bags were laying on the ground at each door.

“Ashley and some other kids were huffing, and someone called the police and they ran! They’ve found everyone except Ashley! She’s out there somewhere in the woods, Rene!” she said almost crying and pleading.

At about this time a police officer walked up to me and was giving me a hard look. “Who are you?”

“He’s her brother,” my mom said.

“I-I’m her brother,” I stammered, feeling trapped in The Twilight Zone from this situation and my current state.

“Were you in the car?” he asked.

“No,” I said, and then turned to mom and told her I going up to the house.

As I was about halfway to the house, there was a commotion behind me. I turned to see Ashley had staggered out of the woods and collapsed on the sidewalk. She had leaves in her hair, and was groaning at my mom pushing her hands away.

“I my God, Ashley! Are you okay?!” my mom said still almost crying.

“Uuuugh, leave me alone!,” Ashley said squirming around on the sidewalk.

They put her in an ambulance and took her to the hospital for observation. Ashley didn’t want to be there, however, and I was told they had to put a straightjacket on her. It was the most bizarre scene I’ve ever been in and being as stoned as I was made it just that much more insane in my mind.

Not too long after that Ashley had starting making contact with her father. He lived in California and wanted to bring Ashley out there to live with him and his family. I believe I was already in Florida at the time. I spoke to her a few times when she was out there and she seemed to really like it. She eventually came back to Maryland, and slowly started getting her priorities together and was doing well for herself. She finally finished high school, was working, and quit doing the destructive things she had been doing. I’m not sure why, but it seems like Michael, Ashley, and myself have all gone through almost the exact same arc in our lives.

I came back to Cumberland for Christmas in 2003. When I did, I stayed with my sister Ashley. She was living with her boyfriend at the time, Michael Bobo (what’s up, Bobo?). My first night back in Cumberland, Bobo talks me into partying with him. I hadn’t done much partying in almost two years and I over compensated that night. I ended up sick as a dog and throwing up. Ashley wasn’t drinking , she just watched me get wasted and seemed to think it was funny how light-weight I had gotten. She watched me for most of the night and was wiping my face with a cool rag. I felt like such a douche.

I had a good time that Christmas with Ashley and the rest of the family. I got my Cheech and Chong bobble heads that year and a couple of their DVDs. Ashley enjoyed the skit, E.T. - Eddie Torres: The Extra-Testicle, on Still Smokin’. I remember one night I also let Ashley drive my Ford Explorer to the super market in the snow. I stood at the window for almost a half hour because I’d never actually seen her drive, and I didn’t really think about it until after I gave her the keys. She came back fine though.

A few days later, I was leaving and the last person I saw was Ashley. She gave me a hug at my car and said,”I love you. Drive safe.”

I said,”I love you, too. I will.”

I wouldn’t see any of the family again until my wedding in May 2005 when everyone came down.

Ashley had come down with her boyfriend Jason, and her baby girl, my niece, Zahra. Most of the family was staying at my dad’s house, but Ashley and Jason had some money and decided to get a hotel room in Panama City Beach. Later that day, Ashley came over to the church to see us all and talk. During the conversation she asked me if I knew if the Hotels around Panama City Beach would give their money back if they decided to go somewhere else. They had only checked-in that day. I told them that most of the Hotels were pretty ruthless. Then Ashley asked me,”Is there any way they would give us our money back?”

And when she asked, I remembered a story a co-worker once told me and I jokingly said,”Yeah, tell them that your baby found a used condom under the bed and that you just want to check-out. They’ll give you your money back then.”

Later that night, at the rehearsal, Ashley came over to me and said in a giggle,”It worked. I told them my baby found a used condom and we got our money back!”. That was Ashley. She wouldn’t have a problem saying something like that to a desk clerk.

After the wedding I went by my dad’s house on the way out of town on our honeymoon to say goodbye to everyone and I gave her a big hug and said,”I love you,” just like before. We kept in touch on the phone and during the holidays after that, but that was the last time I ever saw my sister in person until the funeral this past October. I’ll never forget that moment or those days during my wedding.

She came back to Cumberland after that. Later Ashley and Jason separated and she was living on her own working as a manager at a tire retailer, raising Zahra and beginning to make her life until she was taken away too soon in a completely thoughtless vehicle accident.

I don’t talk about it enough because I’m usually being silly, but I truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and God. I wasn’t saved when I started this blog, but I have been for awhile now and I was saved before this tragedy occurred. When I was first told that Ashley was gone, I naturally sobbed and cried for the longest time. And then I began to ask God why (which is pointless, it’s God plan). And after that, I began to worry about Ashley because I never had the chance to talk to her about God, and I honestly was tormented by that fact for many nights when I couldn’t sleep. Then, when I finally got to Cumberland, we went over to Ashley’s apartment. It was exactly what I expected from Ashley, it was a beautiful place inside. And I was still thinking about it. I needed something to tell me that Ashley was in God’s hands. Then I walked into the kitchen looking around. And I saw a large stone cross on the wall over the table with a light on it, and inscribed into the cross was The Lord’s Prayer. I hadn’t told anyone in my family what I had been thinking, but when I saw it, I began to cry and my wife knew what I was feeling.

This is probably the longest thing I’ve written for the blog, but it’s still not long enough to tell the entire story of my sister’s life. I’ll carry her with me always and I know the rest of my family will too.

Ashley Marie Merced
Sept. 30, 1984 - Oct. 14, 2005

She was a strong, independent, intelligent and beautiful woman. She was a wonderful daughter, sister, and mother. Ashley was a beam of light in every room she entered. There are people who may have been with us longer, but have not touched more people or lived a fuller life than Ashley Marie Merced. Anyone who truly knew or loved Ashley would tell you that without hesitation. She was so full of life that even now I know she will still be with us for the rest of our lives. It hurts to not have Ashley with us now, but I know it’s only temporary because the Lord called her home and it was her time to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Which is why we should all be looking forward to seeing her again when our life’s journey comes to an end. - Rene Merced Jr, Eulogy at the service

Finally home, news

SS9090 Blogger Awards: Returning in January '06

2005-12-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

This isn't SilverSurfer9090: The Mind of Norrin Radd anymore, but the SS9090 Blogger Awards are returning.

My New Year's resolution is to be more critical of others and much meaner and not as nice. Just kidding.

The awards will return but I'm honestly not going to use them to attack people and provoke fellow bloggers as I have in the past. What else could I be trying to do when I tell someone that their blog sucks and they've won an award that looks like a wrinkled food stamp?

So, awards might not look the same as before, and they may not be called SS9090 Blogger Awards either. The details haven't been completely worked out except for the fact that they won't be as mean.

So, it looks like I'm going to have to start reading other people's blogs again!