Thursday, March 30, 2006

repeating nonsense mantras endlessly

All in all not a bad day. I woke up fairly late and goofed off for a while. Went to check out my tax situation and found out I don't have to file this year. So that's one less thing to worry about. I then went to get my haircut and that turned out fairly decent. That place was a zoo, it was packed with gossiping women. But they were having a good time and I was amused.

Puttered over to Trip's and he and I went out for some delicious sushi. I tried the squid and it wasn't bad, but requires further inspection before I'll order it regularly. I'm developing a taste for more of the actual raw stuff tho, at least I think so.

After our "bait" we hit up Walmart and walked around for a bit. I managed to resist temptation for the most part, but ended up buying a new wireless router, batteries and waffles. Can you guess which of those was the impulse buy? So now I am pimped out for wireless, with neither my computer or my mouse tethered. I will now dive into the datastream and surf the heady shores of information.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

thick, like a mouthful of caramel

Just got in from my long ass drive and had some Cheetos and now it's blog time. I'm pretty damn glad about my three day weekend here. I'm about beat. I've been getting up early for one reason or another lately and I'm just wore down.

My drive home wasn't really that bad tonight tho. I started things off with this Japanese band Boris. I read that there sound is described as Sludge Metal. It's pretty cool. Thick sonic waves that hit with a thud and come together for a solid groove that makes you imagine hordes of fans headbanging in unison. Pretty sweet.

I kept the heavy tip flowing after Boris with some Clutch, who in my humble estimation are one of the great bands still together today. Thunderous metal riffs with southern rock and funk grooves thrown in for good measure. Also intelligent lyrics about unique and diverse topics, how you top that?

Anyway it's about time for me to go to bed, I'm drifting away at the keyboard.

Monday, March 27, 2006

Head back to Chalkytown!

Been a busy weekend and I even get to work again tomorrow. Of course, the bright side is that I then get the next three days off. I'm gonna relish those. Although they won't be completely slack, as my dad is finally home from the hospital and needs some help moving around. It's not easy and I'm a pretty sucky nurse.

So I did something this weekend that I had never done before. I drove home from work and watched the sun come up. I've seen it come up on my way to work and watched it come up while I worked, but never finished work and saw it come up. I can't say it was my favorite thing, as I was about dog tired.

I watched Walk the Line (over the course of the last three days). It was pretty good, although it too followed the rough storyline of all those biopic films. Can't deny the acting and I understand why the actors wanted to sing the songs themselves. It adds a reality that you can't get any other way. Still, as good as they Phoenix and Witherspoon are, do they compare with the real thing? Not really. There is a reason Johnny Cash is a legend and it's cause his voice is inimitable.

Friday, March 24, 2006

I'm the only one that exists in this vacuum

Another night in the books. Not bad all told, although the drive home sucked... I didn't have to get in until 8 p.m., so I decided to do dinner beforehand. A coworker had mentioned that Cici's Pizza was a nice buffet that was cheap with good pizza, so I thought I'd check it out. It turned out he was right, by and large. I doubt I'll be back anytime soon, tho.

The problem I had was that I forgot what type of clientele cheap pizza buffets bring out. That's right, hordes of family people out and kids every-freaking-where. I was trying to read and eat quietly, when about halfway through my meal this family sits down right beside me. They had a maybe 7-8 year old girl with em. She had a cone thing that she was using as a megaphone. She decided to shout at me for about 4 solid minutes while her mom fetches the pizza. She has no idea how close she was to having that fucking thing as a permanent part of her anatomy.

Anyway, tomorrow I go in early to meet with the insurance lady, who seemed pleasant. That's right, I'll be among the ranks of the insured... woohoo.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Indulging minor obsessions

Last night was filled with digital plunder as I eviserated the competition in Halo 2 most of the night. Me, Trip, Mike and Adam hooked it up, with Danny in there early as well. Trip did manage to pull out the final game against me, bastard.

Anyway I am now prepping for my road trip. I need to refresh my cd case. Find some lively music for the drive home and whatnot.

Spent the afternoon reading football sites online. Damn Adam for keeping the gridiron fervor alive. It makes it seem like longer until both the draft and the opening of the season. On a related note, T.O. is headed to Dallas. Honestly I think this was a smart move for the Cowboys. He will be on his best behavior for a year and is gonna be amazing on the field, especially against Philly.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Caring is creepy

So I went to visit my dad today. That was less than fun. He was in a pretty good mood when we got there, but was pissed we didn't take him with us. He's still out of it, but hopefully is showing signs of getting better. It was still stressful to leave him there all pissed off.

Anyway other than that I didn't do a lot. I tried ot get my oil changed, but the place was closing by the time I showed up. So I gotta go back tomorrow. I hooked up with Trip and we watched The Office, My Name is Earl and Kenny vs. Spenny. Ohh and How I Met Your Mother. The Office is soo freaking awesome. Actually all of those shows are awesome, although HIMYM is not as super awesome as it seemed early on. It's still very good, but not drool worthy. Maybe it has just been a slow couple of episodes.

I played a little WoW this evening and there are some lameass politics going on now with people there and that was irritating. It's just impossible to keep everyone happy and it can grate on you. Tomorrow I may hook it up online with Adam and get some Halo 2 in and maybe even some Madden.

Ohh and Paul Tagliabue has announced he's gonna be retiring in the near future. Sad really, he wa a good man. He had class and worried more about the good of the game than petty disputes. You gotta respect that. I hope the next one is cut from the same cloth.

Monday, March 20, 2006

It seems your toliet was set to stun and not kill

Man it's been a busy week for me. Lots of tv that had to be watched and lots of road to burn up. But now I face a well deserved weekend, with which I intend to catch up on lots of crap I need to do. I also intend to relax some and spend time outside of my Jeep.

I shouldn't complain, it's not really that bad, although gas prices can suck my balls. Anyway on to brighter things... I had lunch with Adam and Rachel on Saturday and that was cool. Good time was had by all. Well I assume they had a good time I can't guarantee it. I was thinking about it on my way home tonight and honestly Adam and I shouldn't be friends. I mean he's a cop aka "The Man" and I'm pretty fucking anti-authoritarian. On top of that his conservative attitude is diametrically opposed to mine. Same thing with Nick really, that youth minister gig not really meshing well with my opposition to organized religion.

Of course, I'm really glad those guys are my friends. It keeps things interesting and I get to see things from a different viewpoint than my own and, oddly enough, they aren't always wrong. It helps that they aren't douche bags either. Goofs? Yes. Douche bags? No.

OK I'm gonna stop talking about how pleased I am with my friends before they get the wrong impression and think I'm not the surly bastard they are accustomed to.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

to buy a set of wings and fly away with you

I'm a little tired, which seems silly as all I do at work is sit around and watch tv. Still it wears me down for some reason and I get to work til around 4 a.m. tonight. Yeah, gotta love those late night movies. Grrr.

Anyway not much going on really, just trying to get through to my next payday, when hopefully things will normalize financially and I can finally afford a hair cut. I look like a damn shaggy dog.

Also here's a link to a background for nerdy Christian folks, which kinda leaves me out.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Kill for a thrill

Another evening of work in the books. I'm still considering this job a sinecure (look it up bitches, it'll do you good). If I didn't have to sit through Judge Mathis, Springer and Fear Factor it would be absolute bliss. As it is it's still very good and getting better. I learned tonight that I may be end up with three days a week off, which would kick sooo much ass. The jury is still out, but the prognosis is good for yours truly getting Tues., Wed. and Thurs. off. Cross your fingers.

So that's just one more reason why this job kicks the shit out of my job at the Bulletin. The others being that, so far, noone has treated me with contempt (which was a daily thing at the Bulletin), no deadline pressure, no interviewing people I loathe, no driving to and from sporting events for 20 cents a mile and no writing about shit I have absolutely no interest in.

The only thing I miss in the least is the creative outlet provided by covering things I'm interested in. Of course I'm still writing and I can count the stories I was really pleased about having published on my fingers and toes with some to spare. Yep, that's less than 20 in 6 years. Gotta love that editing machine that carves out any creativity it sees. OK, I'm done bitching about a job I haven't worked at in over a year.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Be afraid Nick, be very afraid

The Dolphins contacted the agent for free agent quarterback Tommy Maddox, who could take the backup role if Gus Frerotte doesn't re-sign.
-- Miami Herald

I can honestly say that, in my mind, Gus Frerotte is a better QB than Tommy Maddox. Maddox had one good year, on a Steelers team packed with talent. Then he got knocked out of a game and has played scared ever since. He's not good. So if that happens Nick, you have my condolences.

Nose to the grindstone

So my weekend has come to an end, alas. I suppose I have no right to complain, having had a substantial vacation before that. Still I definitely needed a couple of days here, as I didn't realize how beat I was. Monday I felt exhausted all day and finally conked out about 2 a.m. and slept until 1 p.m. the next day. Making up some time.

Not much to say other than that. I signed up for XBox Live again with a free two month card and got to play with Adam, Mike and Trip. That was cool and I'm hoping to do it again. I wish there were some other game we could get on. I may try to get some Madden going with Adam at some point.

Speaking of football, I'm trying to keep up with all the trades going on now, but man they are happening in flurries. Edgerrin James heads to Arizona, WR mania is Redskin land, the Browns signing a ton of people, Drew Brees a Saint and Daunte Culpepper is now a Phin. I wonder what Nick thinks of that. Culpepper ain't bad, but I'd prefer Brees personally. I suppose we'll see what happens, lots of teams with seeming playoff potential this season.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Full steam ahead

I'd like everyone to note that after tonight's shift I will have worked 60 hours in the past week. This is notable as I haven't worked 60 total hours in the past year and a half before getting this job. Hell, I probably didn't average 60 hours every two weeks at the Bulletin, all told. Last night was a bitch. I am a night owl, but not leaving work until 4 a.m. is a pain with my commute. I'm pretty damn tired.

At least I get tomorrow and Tuesday off. I need to get a haircut and clean out my Jeep. Lots of little things to do. It's funny tho, I have lots more energy now that so much of my time is taken up with work, as opposed to my extended vacation. I suppose the psychological weight of feeling useless and broke takes its toll. That is not to say I'm not tired now, just that overall I'm moving and shaking.

Nothing else new to report. My father is a difficult patient apparently and no new developments there. I suppose I should go shower and prepare for my drive to work, woo. At least the weather is making the trip pleasant.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Needles and camels

I'm almost too tired to blog. I'm being worn out by worrying a lot about a lot of different things. Work is still going well at least. Bill is doing... something, I dunno. He's still in the hospital and there are tales I don't feel like repeating. My grandmother is also ill with something and is seeming less coherent. It's all weighs heavy. I'm concerned the pressure is even worse on Mom. It's just too much to deal with in addition to her normal absurdly heavy schedule. Honestly noone deserves a break more than her and she can't seem to find it. I can't say that I've made things easy on her myself, although hopefully I'm working to correct that these days.

Anyway I got some wings and headed to Trip's today, to drop of his family's car. Yes, I am back on the road in my Jeep. It's running pretty good and I have an 18 month warranty, so it better continue to run properly. Kev came down and we all hung for a bit.

Anyway that's about it. I get to sleep in tomorrow at least. I also get paid, so I got that going for me. Which is nice...

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Less than you think

It's been a busy week. Not only am I still working, but my dad was in a car accident on Tuesday night. He's in pretty bad shape and I'm a little bummed out, as you can imagine. He's in stable condition and seems likely to recover, as far as I know, but he's gonna have to face some serious physical therapy.

Anyway I don't really want to get into that too much, so I'll stick with everything else. Work is still going well. Today was my first day of really handling everything, without someone else there watching constantly and doing as much as he could get away with (he's a nice guy, but bored and I need to fuck up on my own so I can learn from my mistakes). But yeah, aside from a couple of gaffes I did ok.

I go to my regular shift starting Friday, so I can toss out this whole getting up early thing, which does not hurt my feelings in the least. After work tonight I made an escapist maneuver and went to hang out with Adam for a bit. He bought me dinner and showed me some apartments to consider in Roanoke. So that was cool. He's looking forward to me coming up and that's definitely cool. I wanna head there myself.

Anyway I'm beat and think I'm gonna try to go to sleep now. Maybe that way it won't seem like I wake up the instant my head hits the pillow.

Ohhhhh, my Jeep is finally ready, but I got home too late to go and pick it up. I may try to get up early enough (!!!) to go and get it. We'll see.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Year of E update: Reintroduction to society

You know I got the best friends on Earth. While my Jeep being in the shop has been a big pain in the ass, it has shown me how awesome my friends are. First Kevin and Courtney invite me into their home to stay with them so Kev can take me to work (at a job he basically got for me). I stay with them the whole damn week (because my mechanic is a douche) and it's all cool.

Actually it was fun. It was good to hang with Kevin all week and get a chance to kinda reconnect. Also it showed me why it might not be totally bad to have a kid, as I made some inroads with little Eve. She's cool. Of course, I'm still miles away from wanting kids of my own, but I'm making babysteps.

Anyway after a week I return home with the news my car is still in the shop and I'm out in the cold again. Kev and Courtney invited me back, which means I'm not completely screwed, but I feel guilty putting them back in that position again. Just then Trip swoops in for the save offering me his family's spare car. So I don't have to impose on the Plasters again and still have a ride to work. It's so sweet. Ohh and after that, Trip takes me out for sushi, what a guy.

These are just the most recent examples of how awesome my friends are. I love you people (as only my friends (and maybe a couple family members, although you guys fit into the same category) read this blog. I've always been pretty good at finding cool people to spend time with and it makes me feel like I've done something right to have friends like this out there. (You like how I turn my friends' awesomeness into a compliment for myself?) Thanks to all of you for being so fucking good to me.

So all's well in 2006, the Year of E. My new job is pretty sweet, actually. I still have some stuff to learn, but I think I'll be fine. My only concern is that my hours are gonna suck after I'm trained, but it's better than being a derelict any longer.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

ecstatic rapine

I'm too tired to fully blog about this past week, so I will start with the thought that has been with me since about 5:30 p.m. today.

WHAT THE FUCK?!!??! HOW CAN MY FUCKING JEEP NOT BE READY? YOU SAID IT WOULD BE GOOD TO GO ON MONDAY, IT'S FUCKING FRIDAY. WHAT THE FUCK? YOU COCKSUCKERS NEED TO GET THIS SHIT GOING OR I WILL FUCK A NEW HOLE INTO YOU AND WASH MYSELF IN THE BLOOD OF YOUR ENTRAILS.


Anyway that was me venting. When I got the news I was with Kevin and his daughter and was forced to contain it. Objects under pressure are prone to explode and that is what that was. I'll expound further on some of the less annoying aspects of my return to employment.