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Thursday, November 28, 2002 | <11:37 PM> This has been without a doubt the most tiring day I've experienced in last few months. At 8 AM this morning I laced up the cleats for the annual "turkey bowl" with the high school cronies. A tradition started 5 or 6 years ago, we all get together thanksgiving morning for some very unorganized touch football. This year started out with a bang when three plays into the festivities I bust faces with les while tagging an opponent. Imagine two people ten feet apart running at full steam and ramming heads. Ouch. After seeing stars for a few seconds and getting over the initial shock of it all, I gathered my composure to ensure I still had all my teeth. Aside from a busted lip, bruised cheek and some very sore gums I think I'm gonna be alright. Lucky me. The game was fun and I got the ball a little more than usual this year. After two hours of using leg muscles we never knew we had, we said goodbye and dreaded how we'd all feel tomorrow. I left for thanksgiving dinner at jessie's house around noon and enjoyed the meal her mom made for us. The traditional thanksgiving spread and it was oh so yummy. I had a great time and it was good to see her family again. I only wish I could have stayed longer. After gorging on food, I headed up to the AutoRama at the reliant center. Another thanksgiving tradition in houston, this year my dad decided to buy a space in the swap meet to sell some "junk". He's been collecting stuff for a long time now and he finally decided to get rid of the clutter and focus on more important things. Good for him -- I know my mom's glad. We spent a few hours setting up last night and when the show opened at 4:00 today we were up and running. It was slow today, as always considering it's thanksgiving, but he sold a few hundred bucks worth. I sold a whooping $6. Oh, well -- should be better tomorrow. The great thing about swap meets is watching all the interesting people. Holy cow. Mullets galore. I came home at 9:00 and took my mom to the ER. I'm sitting up here now while she gets some blood work done and I'm tired as hell. I can't complain though, since it's my mom who's going through the real struggle. She's worked so hard to manage her diabetes over the last few years, but every now and then she has a spell like this. Usually my dad would take her, but I'm pulling duty tonight so he can get ready for the show tomorrow. This makes it two nights in a row for mom since she came here last night with jennifer and cullen. The little guy had trouble breathing and needed a treatment at 3:00 this morning. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open... Tomorrow it's more of the same, but with legs so sore it's difficult to move. I know it already -- happens every year. In closing, I'm thankful for so much this year and I hope your thanksgiving was just as fruitful. Saturday, November 23, 2002 | <6:13 PM> This week flew by for some reason. Work's been between super-busy and ghost town this week on any given day and next week should be especially deserted with the holiday coming up. I managed to hit a home run at work with the trade show booth. Higher-ups among the TB food chain had nothing but praise and were extremely pleased with the high number of leads we generated during the two day show. Not that I take all the credit, but I did the best I could with the shoe string budget. I've been hearing rumors of others receiving these neat little things called a "spot bonus" for doing good work (trade booth not excluded) and I think it's time I got one. Don't you? (yes, my boss does read my blog and it's become my personal mission to hound him until he throws one my direction). I've heard the squeaky wheel gets the grease around TB and I've resorted to employing that tactic. With the energy company stuff and the lion we won, I'd say I'm due. :) Not to mention I could use a few extra bucks right now... I digress. In other not so interesting news I came home again last night to yet another example of his "assholyness" next door. Dildo left the water on again and my dogs -- muddy again. Last straw. I quickly and angrily wrote a note asking him to PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR WATER and left it on his door. No one was home so I didn't bother knocking. I'm sure next time I throw a party he'll call the cops on me or something, but I'm sick and tired of his crap. I swear if he leaves his water running again I'm gonna... well, I don't know what I'm gonna do. Your comments are whole-heartedly welcomed on the matter. After getting over the water issue, jessie came over and went to dinner at BJ's (insert joke here), the new pizza/brewhouse by vista ridge. Kind of a cross between Humperdinks and Champps, but it was pretty darned good and the micro-brews they offered were mighty tasty. We then took off for bellbottoms in north richland hills and met up with ruben and stevie along with some others from work to listen to le freak. It wasn't something we do very often, but we had a really fun time and the joy of ridiculing ruben over his prince fetish made it worth the trip alone. We didn't make it to the new bond flick just yet, but I imagine I'll see it sometime before the weekend's over. This morning was awesome. Brazilian empanada and fresh brewed coffee at cafe brazil. Yum. I'm enjoying the sunshine while it lasts sitting here outside while waiting for the long overdue oil change on the altima. Free car wash, too. Tomorrow is the game of the year -- the 8-2 Packers vs. the 8-2 Buccaneers. Scott and I renewed our friendly rivalry again this year (like a white warren sapp and a short brett favre) talking smack all week about who'll come away victorious. Right now it's anyone's game, but the advantage goes to tampa with the home field advantage. It's a huge, huge game and I hope my Packers don't implode like they did last week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed... Jackopierce show starts in a few hours. Rock on. Tuesday, November 19, 2002 | <4:37 PM> I can't get over how nice the weather's been. Here it is halfway through november and the grass is still green and the sun is still shining on a daily basis. It stays in the mid 60s during the day and drops quite a bit more at night. I'm sure the dogs have appreciated the invitation inside during nights like these. They've been pretty darn good dogs here lately so as long as they're good (and not muddy) they get to sleep inside. The Mavericks are still undefeated through 10 games. I have to admit I'm impressed. Tonight they face the falling fast powerhouse of the LA Lakers. I hate that team. The good news is they're at home and have a shot at going 11-0. I'm not usually one to go out of my way to watch a basketball game, but I might try to catch this one on the tube later on. I guess it all depends if jessie and I go do something tonight or not. Just your average tuesday... Vice City still continues to impress me. I'm discovering more and more each time I play and still have a Looooong way to go before I'm done (much to the dismay of my significant other, I'm sure). The newest "holy crap that's cool!" discovery came when I found a helicopter to steal and flew it around the city for a while last night. Cool. Work is busy this week with "the cone" out on vacation. There's been a few questions come my way on certain jobs that are his, but luckily I've got my own projects to keep me busy. The energy company is gearing up for another round of proposals and we're hitting the bushes hard in an effort to get the extra work. I've also got another eye care website to work on along with a few other small jobs around the company. Considering this is the time of year when things normally slow down, it's good to be busy. I also need to recommit myself to working on the UNT SOVA website in my spare time, otherwise my alma-matter is really gonna hate me. :( Jessie and I are going to see a Jackopierce reunion show this saturday at the GTR. I'm really looking forward to seeing my favorite college band get back together for the first time in five years. It'll be interesting to see if they still jam like they used to. No annoying frat boys, please. Monday, November 18, 2002 | <12:05 PM> Candy Suxxx. Nice name. Looks like it's replaced "jock itch" as my highest refferal search string from google (see my previous posts). Go figure. Did I mention how much I hate the Vikings? UPDATE: comments are being added for the world to ridicule me in a public forum. Enjoy. I'll be turning a few wrenches over the next few days to get them to work properly, so the three of you who read this please be patient and add a comment in the meantime to help me test. Thanks. Sunday, November 17, 2002 | <4:45 PM> I hate the Vikings. Hate. Hate. Hate. Saturday, November 16, 2002 | <10:34 AM>  I've admitted freely that I'm a dork numerous times in the past, so for me to go on and on about a PS2 game should suprise no one. However, I'm not usually as completely blown away with a game like I am GTA Vice City; the newest in a series of violent games from Rockstar. Holy crap! I don't know how they got SO much stuff on a single disc. After renting it last friday, I broke down and bought it last night and picked up a strategy guide to boot. Thinking I was nearly done cruising Vice City (aka 80's Miami) working my way up to the top of the drug ranks, turns out I've been through maybe 20% of the game. Impressive.The game is certainly not for everyone. In fact, I think this game shouldn't be sold to anyone under 18. Period. The label is rated M for mature, and it lives up the billing. So far, I've completed mafia hit jobs, drive-by shootings, ran over tourists, hijacked a tank, flown a helicopter, whacked golfers to death with a 4 iron, picked up hookers and firebombed gangbangers with molotov cocktails. Sound like a game for kids? No. But, for people like you and I who can appreciate the satire of a video game it's fun to step outside your coservative self for a few hours and enjoy the game for what it is -- entertainment. In my reading, I've come to be even more impressed with the talent they signed on to play the character voices. Check this list: Ray Liotta, Tom Sizemore, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Gary Busey, Phillip Michael Thomas (tubbs!), Luis Guzman, Lawrence Taylor and Jenna Jameson (aka Candy Suxxx -- the corrupt senators' porn star girlfriend) and a few more. Throughout the game there are all sorts of unsavory characters that hire you to do their dirty work and each "mission" is introduced with a mini "movie" where the talent provides voices for their digital counterparts. These are directed really well and they further enhance the reality throughout the game. The entire affair is like a weekend marathon of Miami Vice meets the Sopranos. Love it! So I got that going for me, which is nice. I did some re-arranging with the network yesterday and got the dogcam back online for good (link above under webcams). Before, the length of the USB extension made the cam completely unstable, but moving the computer to the living room eliminated the problem. Enjoy. I'm going outside. It's too nice to be in here. Friday, November 15, 2002 | <11:30 AM> It's friday and I took the day off from work. What shall I do today? Hmmm... Already a dent in the list of chores for the weekend. After an hour of scraping overspray from the living room windows with a razor blade, it looks pretty damned good in here. Next: lunch. Afterwards: ? Happy birthday, Mrs. Stroud. :) Thursday, November 14, 2002 | <11:36 AM> My god it's beautiful outside. On the way to work this morning I took my dear sweet time enjoying the weather with the sunroof open and the itunes cranked. I knew this sunshine utopia wouldn't last long when the orange colored leaf landed in my car at a stoplight. Oh, well -- as long as it sticks around a few days you won't hear me complaining. But I can complain at some things. Like my asshole neighbor. I refer to him as "asshole" because I'm thoroughly convinced that's what he is. His latest attempt in confirming my opinion of him came on tuesday when I got home and found my dogs covered in mud. Yup. Covered. Considering how nice it's been outside (no rain for a week) and the river of water flowing down the alley, it seems "asshole" left his sprinklers on and the overflow came into my backyard causing the mudslide my dogs played in all day. Now maybe I can blame my dogs for getting muddy... but I won't. This is the third time since I've been here that's happened. Pisses me off. The dogs are still too muddy to come inside for a bath. Next time I'm hurling dog shit over the fence. Here are 7 more reasons why I really don't care too much for him: 1. He's verbally abusive to his kid. Once the kid (accidently) ran over a sprinkler while mowing and he berated him so loud the entire street could hear. 2. His motorcycle. The loud, obnoxious harley he cranks up every morning at 6:15, leaves idling until 6:20, then rides off as loudly as possible. Thanks for waking us up! 3. He once cranked his mower up at 7:45 on a saturday morning. You do that in certain parts of texas and you'll be shot. 4. His stupid dog. He lets the dog out to run around, then yells like an idiot when the dog doesn't come back when he yells for it. Get a leash, dumbass. 5. Every time I waive "hello" -- as good neighbors do when they drive by one another. He pensively raises his hand an will not make eye contact with me. As if it's a major chore or something. 6. He's anal retentive. One look at his yard and you'll see what I mean. Not a blade of grass untrimmed. I think he lives for perfection. 7. He's just downright scary. Ever see falling down? That movie with michael douglas where the buttoned up business man just snaps one day and goes on a rampage? I'm convinced that's gonna be him. Just for fun, I've posted a sketch of the man in question so you can have a better idea of what I mean. He really does look like that Oh well. Guess I've done enough damage for one day. Monday, November 11, 2002 | <2:15 PM> What a great weekend. After an abbreviated work week shortened with vacation and sick days, I was ready to enjoy the sunshine for a couple days. Friday, I fought the final battle on a stomach flu that had been ailing me for a few days so jessie and I stayed home and watched "insomnia" instead of going to the movies. Great movie, but not as great as "memento", the previous chistopher nolan outing. I also rented Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PS2 while I was out. I wish I could decribe what a total kick-ass game it is in my blog, but I don't have THAT much time. If you have a PS2 and can take the brash violence with a grain of salt, I highly recommend it. It's by far the most fun I've had playing a video game since "metroid". Saturday afternoon, jessie and I headed to ft worth to catch the mondrian exhibit at the kimball. The exhibit featured a lot of his early work that led him to the grids he's famous for; hence the title -- Mondrian, the path to abstraction. After the cuture we had some overpriced marble slab and decided to stick around for four day weekend. Funny as always, it was even funnier when nadia coma-kitty made a cameo and kept some cute chick in the audience laughing for the rest of the night. Sunday I played a little more GTA and watched the games. Jessie baked. We've been dating for a year now and we celebrated the milestone with a trip to cathy's wok and a slice pumpkin cheesecake. Yum. I was sad to see the weekend end come sunday night. Tonight I'm going to the maverick's game with jeff and jonathan compliments of exley. Haven't been to a mavs game in a while, so this should be a nice way to start off yet another abbreviated work week -- I'm off friday, too. Whoo-hoo! Friday, November 08, 2002 | <8:25 AM> If the weather stayed this way all the time, I'd have to find a job as a professional golfer or construction worker. Awesome. It seems here lately there's been a collective thorn in the side of my home. Lots of little piddly things that require attention or repair. Yesterday it was the kitchen sink. After the in-sink-erator (love that brand name) went out two weeks ago, the metal ring on the p-trap corroded and the pipe came loose causing water to spill underneath the basin below. Luckily, I discovered it sooner than later and the water damage was to a minimum. A trip to home depot to find the parts I needed and a half-hour later, water was flowing where it should be. I didn't even let my butt crack show during the entire repair process. Amazing. This weekend promises even more nice weather with the mercury dropping a bit. After three weekends of rain I'm looking forward to spending a little more time outside tomorrow. Thursday, November 07, 2002 | <8:43 AM> Another slack in the blog. Been feeling a little too under the weather to type anything creative. Last week I dusted off the fett suit for the usual halloween costume fare and won 300 bucks in the costume contest at fox and the hound in lewisville. Jessie came along to help and even patched me up when I broke one of my kneepads (something I've been fearing since I built 'em 5 years ago). The $300 prize money helped ease the pain and I plan on fixing it the best I can here in the next few days. Took friday off from work. That was nice. After watching a super shitty movie on friday night (punch-drunk love), I woke up saturday morning and headed home to houston. I hadn't been down since july 4th and my dad got tickets for the texans/bengals game, so it was time to get outta dodge for a few days. The rainy weather followed me to houston and it didn't stop the entire trip down which always make for a plesant drive. I don't know if the weather was a factor or not, but the bi-monthly throat infection flared up once again. Luckily I was able to call the doc-in-the-box in carrollton and have them call in some antibiotics to the eckerd's down the street. Damn this throat of mine. Sunday, one of dad's friends from church, mike, picked us up at 8:30 to tailgate at the stadium. Mike has season tickets -- great seats and his wife and daughter were out of town so we I got to go instead. We made signs and loaded up his van with food and a quick-tent and made our way to reliant field. Holy cow -- that stadium is indescribable. It literally dwarfs the astrodome in size. We cooked fajitas and mingled with the other texans fans despite the drizzle. Around 11:00 we made our way into the stadium and found our seats. My dad and I made our way to the player's entrance and I got some great shots of my 2nd favorite team (behind the pack, of course) making their way onto the field. After the opening scoring drive by the texans, it was pure ugly. The underdog bengals ended up dominating the texans 38-3, but despite the ass-whoopin' it was a heck of a good time and I'm trying to find an excuse to go to another game before the season is over. :) I took monday off, too. After driving nearly 300 miles in the the rain, I finally made it back to dallas. Jessie's airport card came in so I installed that and then laid down for a nap. While the throat infection started to clear up, I caught a fever and a little bit of the flu bug which I'm still recovering from. I watched my favorite team beat the dolphins monday night on my back and stayed home again on tuesday. They're giving flu shots at work this week -- think I'll try one for a change. Being sick sucks. Oh, and jessie found the culprit -- two smoke detectors I bought last year stored away in my lower kitchen cabinets. God bless her. :) |