Round Reality, Square Life

What Dreams Await Me Now?

2011-05-05T14:50:00.003-05:00

As I have described before, my luck asking out females had been so bad that I have trouble dating them in my dreams. But recently, that began to change and for some reason, I have good luck in my dreams. So I was beginning to feel confidant, and I decided to try asking this one girl I haven't seen for a while out for lunch.

So I called her number and got her voice-mail, and it turns out that that was a break for me; the name on the voice-mail had changed, which meant that during the time since I had last seen her, she got married. Boy, could that have been awkward.

But now, I wonder what dreams await me. Will I still have good luck, or will they now turn sour.

The Stargate is Closed for Renovations

2010-11-17T13:40:00.001-06:00

One of the things I’ve liked about digital TV is sub-channels, which allows multiple networks to be broadcast on the same frequency. For someone like me who doesn’t have satellite/cable, this expands what I can watch. One of the shows I’ve been able to watch this way is reruns of “Stargate SG-1”. However, the network that carries them has been dropped from one of the stations here. It will reappear on another station, but not until next month. Until then, I’ll just have to wait.

Dear “Networks that show NFL Games”…

2010-11-09T14:52:00.000-06:00

…when you show the cheerleaders, please do not cover them up with ads or graphics all the time. Thank you.

Where I've Been Lately

2010-07-30T13:49:00.000-05:00

Hello there. I know I said I was restarting this blog in 2010, but the year has been a real bear for me. Basically, I’ve had several issues to deal with, the biggest being the fact that I’ve been unemployed for over 4 months. So I’m hoping to get that resolved soon, and back to what passes as a normal life for me. (lol)

Clearing the Dust

2009-11-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

Ugh, have I let this blog go. Hopefully with the holidays coming up, I'll be able to set aside some time to type some stuff out, but I have some other stuff that could use some attention also. However, I still remain committed to blogging; perhaps I should make a New Year's resolution about it.

A 20-year Hail Mary Finally Falls Incomplete

2009-09-01T16:03:00.001-05:00

Back when I first started college I knew this one girl who was actively interested in me. Unfortunately this rattled me a bit, as my bad luck in dating before hadn't prepared me for this possibility; by the time I got my act together, she had moved on, although we remained close friends for the three years we were in college together.

After our junior year she transferred to another college, and I lost contact with her. But I never stopped thinking of her, and what could have been. Problem was, she was a difficult person to track down, even after the internet came along. Her maiden name was a common one, and since she didn't graduate from my college, she was not in the alumni registry there. And so the years continued to pile on.

Then recently (last month, in fact), I finally managed to locate her. While I was happy that I had made contact with her again, it was mixed with some depression. While she did eventually marry, it happened over 10 years after we last had contact. All that time wasted, especially since I worked for an airline for a few years, and could have been visiting her on a regular basis then.

But alas, such is my luck, and a faint hope finally goes out. I still intend to keep in contact with her, and who knows, one day we will finally meet again. But for now, things go on, with one less possibility down the road.

Honesty for About a Dollar

2009-05-07T14:10:00.000-05:00

Recently I had a situation where I had a couple of bucks left on a gift credit card, and I decided to buy a few songs before a service charge zeroed the account the next day. I bought one song, then looked around for a second song and bought it.

However, when I looked at the payment profile, I saw that only the first one went against the card, with the second one listed as pending. This concerned me, as I wanted to be sure that I had paid for what I got. I contacted the customer service department and was told not to worry about this, that if the card zeroed out, then the song would be a gift.

Now if I wanted to, I could have gone and bought something else for what's left on the card, but that just isn't me. That money was set aside for a particular song I got, so by my reckoning it was already spent. Unfortunately the payment wasn't processed before the service charge kicked in, but I feel good in that I made an honest attempt to pay and did not pull a fast one.

More Blogthings

2009-04-21T16:17:00.001-05:00

I have an idea for a post. Hope to have it written up soon; until then, here's some more filler.

You Are Cereal

Playful and lighthearted, breakfast is likely your favorite meal of the day.

(In fact, you're probably the type who sneaks cereal as a midnight snack.)

Your culinary skills are probably a bit lacking... and you are a sucker for junk food.

Some people accuse you of eating like a kid, but you prefer to think of yourself as low maintenance.

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

Another Blogthing to Show I'm Still Here

2009-04-03T16:34:00.002-05:00

Hi all. Just thought I'd post this to let you know I'm still around. Interesting result; a girl I met from Sweden was an important person to me in High School.

You Are Sweden

You are a calm, soft spoken person. You are well mannered and classy.

You enjoy listening and learning. You are open to new ideas.

You are very moderate. You don't over do anything and shy away from extremism.

You have an eye for design. You can see the beauty in simple things.

What Country Are You?

Vexed by a Meme

2009-02-24T16:32:00.001-06:00

One of the things I have wanted to do for my blog is this one meme that Carrie (aka Carpark) did in her blog. But after thinking about some of the questions, I was feeling a bit annoyed and depressed about it.

For example, I pretty much came to a stop on the one Who was/were...Last made you smile. Now there is much that can make me laugh/smile on the outside, but I know this question is focused on inner smiles. And it's a real let-down when you can't remember the last inner smile. Oh, I know some of it is my own doing, but it's real depressing when I realize just how isolated I am, and how the universe just wants to keep me that way.

Digital Apathy

2009-02-05T16:07:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it just doesn't pay to play by the rules. I watch broadcast TV, and as most of you should know, the analog signals were supposed to be shut off in the middle of the month.

So I ordered the coupon, and waited for it. While waiting for it, I researched converter boxes, and found the one that I wanted. Then last month I looked at various places to order it from. I had some trouble there in that they ran out of stock before they processed my order, and the restock date they had was the day after my coupon expired. But I got lucky, and they got some in before then and shipped it out.

After I got it, I waited about a week, since I needed to find a place to set it, and to get some of the cables I needed for it. Once I got that all taken care of, I tried it out.

I am feeling kind of mixed about it. The picture is better, although the sound the box puts out is low in volume. There's no code for it for a universal remote, so I'll have to get a learning remote so I can use a single remote. And I had to do some playing around with the antenna to find the best position for it; this is further complicated by the fact that a lot of stations are going to switch frequencies after, so I don't know if I'll need a new antenna.

But now I hear that the change-over is probably going to be delayed until June. I worked hard to get myself ready, and now it's all held up by some slow-pokes who fiddled away these past months. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be the ant (from the story of the ant and the grasshopper).

Contemplating Hiatus

2008-10-10T16:01:00.001-05:00

My apologies for not having posted much lately, but I just haven’t been in the mood. Not to say that stuff hasn’t been happening to me, but when it seems that you fight through one bad thing only to encounter another, it really saps your strength. And I still wonder if anyone out there reads this any more; I’ve noticed the blogs of people that have read mine in the past have gone quiet themselves.

So, a break may be in order. If you’d like to see it continue, please leave a comment. Thanks.

Arrr, It Be Another Blogthing

2008-09-26T15:46:00.002-05:00

Arrr, I found this a week late (Talk Like a Pirate Day is Sept. 19), but better late than never.

You Are 25% Pirate

Ahoy matey! Ye can think o' yerself as a swashbuckler in trainin'.

If ye study hard an 'do what the captain tells ye, ye may be gettin' part o' the booty.

Get to work on yer pillagin', swordfightin', an' drinkin'.

Ye dasn't want to end up in Davy Jones' locker, so make sure ye pipe down when the captain be around.

Would You Make a Good Pirate?

Losing Another "Day 1" Landmark

2008-09-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

When I first moved down to Texas, there were three places a friend of mine took me to on my first day here and thus they had a special kind of significance to me. Granted, they are an eclectic group; a gourmet burger place (where you could load up your plates with beans and fries plus an ice cream cone for desert, all in a 50's style place), a grocery store (where I got food and some other stuff), and a bowling alley (where we played games in the arcade).

Of these places, the burger place closed ages ago. And yesterday I saw a flyer that the grocery store was about to close in a week or so. True, I hadn't gone there in a while (they never put in self-checkout, and I love that) but still you like to see things continue on. Perhaps I should go to the bowling alley soon.

Irked by Ike

2008-09-17T15:34:00.001-05:00

Well, in accordance with my plans for last weekend, I got up early Saturday morning and started lugging a heavy basket of laundry down the slope at 7:15 AM. While it rained a bit while the clothes were in the dryer and the wind was up a bit, the weather wasn't much (up here) and I got my stuff back in my apartment before 10:30; then I spend the rest of the day watching news 'cause there wasn't much else on.

Stressing the Weekend

2008-09-11T16:07:00.001-05:00

Well, the weekend is approaching and it looks like it could be another tough one again; already I'm stressing it a bit. On Friday I am taking off of work, to get some errands done along with the weekly shopping. Saturday looks to be the toughest day; I will probably have to get up early in order to get my laundry done before the rain from Ike arrives here (stupid hurricane). If I can get all of that taken care of, I can have Sunday as a reading day; if not, I'll have to do stuff Sunday also.

Labor-ing Weekend

2008-09-03T15:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I had quite the busy time last weekend. Saturday was planned for errands and picking up some stuff. Besides the normal grocery type items I got, I also had to get a new belt (I went a few places before settling on a $12 one from Wally-Mart). This took up most of my day and got me home late. When I checked my mailbox, in there was a package slip for my new book, but the apartment office was close for the day.

Sunday was originally planned just as a Laundry Day (which is busy enough by itself). I wanted to pick up my book, but the office doesn't open until 1 PM on Sundays. While starting my day I noticed I was low on paper towels, had put the last roll of TP on, and had both boxes of tissues run out. So I went out to pick up those items, then came back and picked up my book and started on laundry. After lugging my clothes back up, my back was hurting from all I had done the last 2 days so I could only fold clothes for short periods at a time.

Thus, when all that was done, I stayed in on Monday. It was scheduled to be a lazy day anyway, but I decided to enjoy it reading. And after all, it wasn't the worst Labor Day weekend that I had.

Weather Un-delay

2008-08-20T16:05:00.000-05:00

For this last weekend, the forecast was for scattered rain both days. This really sucked, since it was a laundry weekend and I needed some dry weather to go outside in, particularly when I had to go between my apartment and the laundry hut. Lugging clothes up and down a slope with one bad arm is tough enough; I don't need it to be slick also.

So, to counter this, I set my alarm for 7 AM each morning to maximize my time window. I usually sleep in on Saturday and Sunday to be more rested, but knew I had to make the sacrifice if I wanted to get my errands and chores done.

The result? No rain until Sunday evening, and then only sprinkles. So I spent a lot of Saturday bored, and on Sunday I went to see "Iron Man". Plus I was dead tired Sunday evening, so prep for the start of the workweek had to be kept minimal.

Little Things of Late

2008-08-15T16:06:00.000-05:00

- I finally got my car back late last Friday; having A/C now is much appreciated.

- People have moved in to the apartment next to mine. It had been empty for quite a while; will take some time to get used to noises from over there again.

- Saw another movie (The Forbidden Kingdom). Clichéd, but it killed a couple of hours.

- Wondering if anyone still reads this. Please leave a comment if you are. :)

Grief In-car-nate

2008-08-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

This last week has not been a good one for me about my car. First thing that happened was last weekend, when the lap-belt wouldn't retract. Then Monday morning, the power window stopped at halfway when I tried to roll it up as I entered the parking garage. I dropped it off at the dealer after work (and fortunately got a loaner since the parts wouldn't be in until Wednesday) and told them to also recharge the A/C (since it was doing next to nothing, and this summer has been hot even by Texas standards).

That's when my grief really intensified. First I was told that the system needed a conversion kit due to the new type of Freon (the old one being banned by the gov't) and that would be in on Thursday. Then on Thursday, I was informed that the compressor would have to be replaced (costing much $$$$), and possibly some evaporators also. I'm currently waiting to hear if I will be getting my car back today, or if I'll have to hang on to the loaner still.

I miss my car.

Return of Ham and Movies

2008-07-21T14:45:00.002-05:00

Last weekend was quite a bear for me (loaded with chores and errands, ugh), but at least I caught one break. Those lunches that I like were apparently moved to another row in the store; I came across them yesterday, and immediately grabbed what I could.

I also recently broke my movieless streak. I decided to start with movies at the budget theatre (before they disappeared) and watched Speed Racer.

Hal's Laptop

2008-07-18T16:31:00.002-05:00

I had a bit of an "open the pod bay doors" moment this morning. My laptop at work acted a bit funny (possibly due to a patch push) so I wanted to reboot it. When I selected "Restart", it had the audacity to tell me I didn't have the authority to do that; selecting "Shut Down" didn't do it either. I was about to do an emergency manual shutdown (eject laptop from docking station and remove battery) when the blue screen of death occurred, and it rebooted. Gotta love technology.

Let's all go to the lobby...

2008-07-11T16:38:00.002-05:00

In talking to a few people recently, one thing has become a bit clear to me. I need to start seeing some movies. In fact, I haven't seen a movie in the theaters since last year, and I only saw 4 of them (Harry Potter 5, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Spider-Man 3, The Simpsons Movie).

Usually when I hit an open day on the weekend (about every other Sunday), I prefer to do some reading than see a movie. This is typically for two reasons: (1) reading is done on my own schedule, where as movies are done on the theatre's, and (2) reading is done in a fairly quiet environment, where as in a theater you can have all sorts of noise and lights disturb you (as I learned from a trip to a baseball game: you can choose where you sit, but you can't choose who sits around you).

However, my recent attempt at moviegoing was thwarted for other reasons. I had planned to see the new Indiana Jones movie on the 4th, but found out at the theatre they had some new pricing plan. Now while this may make it easier for me to see a movie during the week, I balked at the fact that all showing in holiday periods are full price. And at $9, I probably would rather put that towards a DVD of the movie if I had to.

Of Ham and Fate

2008-07-03T16:24:00.002-05:00

I think I may have jinxed myself. Remember those things of scalloped potatoes & ham I talked about last post? Well, they've disappeared again. Even the spot they were in was gone. Hopefully I can find something to replace them with, because even a short lunch run heats up the car's interior fast in the ol' Texas summer.

Random Thoughts of Late

2008-06-27T16:00:00.003-05:00

Nothing big has happened lately, so just a few minor points about recent events:

- One of things I used to eat for lunch was these little things of scalloped potatoes & ham. They disappeared awhile ago, and that has made me eat out more. However, recently they came back (and in a bigger size even) so that is nice. Now if they only would bring back the brand of Vienna Sausages I like, then I'd be set.

- I have been working to upload files to a new storage site, since my old one bungled a bunch of stuff when they did a conversion. I just can't see the point of paying for a service when (a) it's free elsewhere, and (b) I was getting charged but my files weren't available for weeks after the conversion. Recently I finished putting a second section up on the new site.

- I need to get out and see some movies; the last one I saw was last summer. Iron Man and Indiana Jones are at the top of my list of ones to see.

- Got a new book to start reading; it's my 12th since I started up this hobby again. The book is about 600 pages, so it should keep me occupied for a while.

My Inner Pizza

2008-06-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

What Your Pizza Reveals

There are no limits to your eating. You often devour the scraps your friends can't finish.

You aren't particularly picky about pizza. It's so good... how could you be? You fit in best in the Western part of the US.

You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods.

You are generous, outgoing, and considerate with your choices.

You are definitely unique and artistically inclined. You should consider traveling to Prague.

The stereotype that best fits you is guy or girl next door. Hey, there's nothing wrong with being average.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

Two Weeks I Don't Need

2008-06-12T15:40:00.000-05:00

As the title says, I really didn't need these last two weeks. I've had to deal with two issues with my car (one was when I locked my keys in the trunk, the other when it wouldn't start when I tried to leave work), the loss of someone I knew from a while ago, all the standing around I had to do the past two weekends, and of course the continual roasting Texas heat.

An Animated Weekend

2008-05-29T16:31:00.003-05:00

This weekend I'll be attending Project A-kon. It is the longest running animation convention in the US, and I've been going to them since A-kon 1. Hopefully I'll have some tales from it.

Also, I have some other posts I've been working on, and I hope to get those out also (for those of you still out there).

Möbius Crisi

2008-05-20T16:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted, but things have been crazy-like lately. Besides settling in to my new job (which I have almost done), I have been working on catching up on stuff that I put off in April; and since my new boss isn't as flexable on working hours as my old boss, I've had to expend a couple of personal days. Add to that a few other things that have cropped up, and things have been quite busy for me. Hopefully I'll get back to some steady blogging soon. :)

Looking Forward To A More Normal Weekend

2008-05-02T16:52:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm looking forward to what should be a more normal weekend for me. Now that I know I'm working on Monday, I can do my usual weekend (hopefully without the stress attacks), and this weekend is scheduled as a reading weekend. I need one of these bad; the last solid one I had was almost two months ago.

Doomsday Averted

2008-04-28T17:06:00.001-05:00

Just got word that my RIF has been pulled, and I will be assigned to another group. More info to follow.

Of Neighbors Past

2008-04-18T15:10:00.000-05:00

We had a tough thunderstorm roll through here last night; lightning, hail, that kind of stuff. It reminded me of some old neighbors (long moved away). When something like that would hit, we would leave our front doors open; the doors faced each other across this short middle area that was covered enough that you could walk between the two apartments OK. One of the bad storms that hit here was the Mayfest storm on 5-5-95, in which my area was hit with moderate hail and a lot of rain. And we were some of the lucky ones--I still remember this video from a county to the west of mine; it looked like someone was whipping baseballs into someone's window.

The only other past neighbor of particular note was this one petite brunette in the apartment next to mine who drove a huge pickup truck. She was the one who drove me to the hospital when I broke my arm.

T Minus 3 Weeks to Doomsday

2008-04-11T16:33:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I know I'm late with this weeks post, but the shock of last week is finally beginning to settle in. Nothing concrete to report so far. Trying to get some stuff done ahead of time in case I actually reach Doomsday.

The Axe Falls Again

2008-04-03T15:07:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm not a happy camper right now. Today I received my 30-day notice about my job, so once again the fun of looking for a new one begins. Last time I got axed was in early April also; wonder if there is something cursed about this month.

For those that need further proof...

2008-03-26T11:33:00.002-05:00

...that the universe is not fond of me, I present last Sunday, when a light went out in my apartment. Now normally this wouldn't be a bit deal, as I keep spares of the various lightbulbs I use. However, this one was different. This was the overhead florescent light in the kitchen, which uses a pair of 4-foot long bulbs. Now normally I could just go out and get a new set, but since it was also Easter you don't know what stores would be open (particularly for that item), and I wasn't going to burn a bunch of gas trying to find a place.

It's St. Patrick's Day...

2008-03-17T16:39:00.001-05:00

...so what ever happened to Shamrock Shakes?

In a Fog

2008-03-12T15:53:00.002-05:00

There's just something I enjoy about fog, like what we had on Tuesday. Now, I'm not talking about just a light "I can't see 5 miles away" fog; I mean high quality fog, the kind where you have trouble seeing something a block away, that makes you feel like you're in a gothic setting. I don't know exactly what it is; I just know I like it.

I play Dungeons & Dragons and I vote

2008-03-05T14:35:00.002-06:00

Weird day today. Yesterday I voted, which gives me a good feeling; however, one of the creators of D&D, (and all the subsequent hobbies and games) E. Gary Gygax, passed away yesterday, which depresses me a bit. So, I currently have these two different emotions cruising through me today, and it's a weird feeling.

Leap Day...

2008-02-29T11:21:00.003-06:00

...supposedly the day where women can as men out.

My result? Situation normal (i.e., nothing happened).

Some Random Thoughts

2008-02-27T16:00:00.008-06:00

Been feeling tired, frustrated and depressed lately, so I haven't been in a good writing mood. Here then are a few random thoughts.

The comic-book/gaming store that I went to when I first moved to Texas just closed down this past weekend. What a neat place that was.

Here are the first 5 songs in my MP3 mix:

Evanescence - Bring Me to Life
Fire Bomber - Introduction/Planet Dance
Genesis - Land of Confusion
John Cena - Basic Thugonomics
Katie Todd Band - Face Down

I still need to get those new tax forms thanks to my JD pay.

Came across this pic of my free World Series taco:

Better Than Other Days

2008-02-21T15:02:00.003-06:00

While I can't say that today will go down as a great day, it did have some good things in it. To wit, I finally managed to get a song I've been looking for for a long time, I got my yearly bonus (the payout is actually tomorrow, but I can see the paystub [and how much I get after taxes] today), and I got some important good news about someone I know (won't say anymore about that for fear of jinxing the situation). Now if I only could get a date.

V-Day Plus 1

2008-02-15T14:11:00.002-06:00

V-Day is finally come and gone. Now I won't have to get so badly depressed from watching TV and seeing all those commercials, shows, and news reports on or about it. Too bad this upcoming weekend promises to be lousy; I need to get out of this deep funk I'm in.

Now Watching BB9

2008-02-13T16:11:00.003-06:00

OK, the new season of Big Brother just started, and I almost missed it. Completely forgot about it, and only came across it while channel surfing. Now I'm not that big into reality TV, but I started watching it in the middle of season 8, mainly because it is one of the few shows that I'd be able to do; having a bad right arm means I can't put much strain on it, which would severely reduce my ability for any strength or endurance challenges. Not to mention the fact that they are one of the few reality shows to accept people over 30. However, my main problem in trying out for that show is that it could be as long as 3 months; no way could I get that kind of time off from my job.

More than 6

2008-02-11T16:01:00.000-06:00

Well, the state of Texas has finally made a decision that I think it should have made years ago; the number of characters on a license plate is being increased from 6 (to 7).

Now, you would have thought that a state this size wouldn't be restricted to 6 (but for some reason it has), which is less than places like Oklahoma and South Dakota. And it can get tough trying to come up with a good personalized plate with only 6 characters.

However, for those of use who use normal plates, I just hope they don't do like Illinois and have them look like phone numbers.

Down, doobe-doo down down...

2008-02-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

Sheesh, have I been down lately. Need something to help bring me up badly.

On another note, I have made it my goal to post at least once a week, trying for Wednesdays. This blog ain't going anywheres if I can help it.

SB flashback

2008-01-31T16:29:00.001-06:00

With SB42 coming up this weekend, I thought I'd give a tale of a SB past. For SB38 (Panthers-Patriots) I didn't particularly prefer either team. However I did have a T-shirt for Carolina; for some reason, an aunt of mine gave it to me for Christmas, for what reasons I do not know. It is though, one of the more interesting shirts, as it was an early shirt that featured the whole panther on it. Anyhoo, I said "What the hey?" and wore the shirt when I was out shopping that day, which got a few comments from other people, which I thought was neat.

Another Blogthingie

2008-01-16T15:29:00.001-06:00

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart.

In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

$6 Can Get You a Lot of Aggravation

2008-01-02T16:10:00.000-06:00

Last year I had to attend Jury Duty. That in itself is aggravating enough, but after looking over the tax forms and instructions I got, I now have to deal with another hassle. They removed the spot on the 1040A form for recording JD payment, so now I have to track down the instructions and form (and the relevant Schedules I'll need) for the 1040.

All this for a check that barely paid for the gas I used that day.

2007: End

2007-12-31T15:39:00.001-06:00

...and I'm still single (and no other significant news to report about the year).

Plus, for only the 2nd or 3rd time, I am spending NYE outside of the Dakotas. Nothing planned; will probably just absorb some TV and sleep in.

Christmas Blogthing

2007-12-06T15:42:00.001-06:00

You Are a Snowman

Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

My Turkey (of a) Weekend

2007-11-28T13:26:00.000-06:00

I didn't do much this past weekend; weather and other stuff made a bit of a mess of it. Here is a day-by-day breakdown of how it went:

Thursday: Spent the day at home, watching the football games. Marvelled at the fact that yesterday morning it reached the 70s, and today it was snowing(!). Had turkey & mashed potatoes microwave meal and some black olives for T-Day meal.

Friday: The only decent day of the weekend, weather-wise. For the morning and part of the afternoon, I did some grocery shopping; I had thought of hitting a few of the stores to see their Black Friday specials, but had to cancel that. Instead, I spend the rest of the afternoon doing laundry, since the forecast for Saturday and Sunday was low 40s and some rain.

Saturday: Ventured out once to take care of some work-related items, but otherwise spent some time doing things around the place.

Sunday: Watched some football and hockey, then finished up the section of the book I am currently on. Finished it out watching my usual Sunday TV lineup.

Working on Music

2007-11-20T16:13:00.001-06:00

Lately I've been working on my digital music collection, but it's been a bit frustrating. Some of music I want to add isn't available out there (like the three Pat Benatar albums I'd like: Seven the Hard Way, Tropico, and Wide Awake in Dreamland), so unless you have the CD, you're out-of-luck. Fortunately I do have some, so I was able to add Animotion's "I Engineer" and Dan Akyroyd/Tom Hanks' "City of Crime" to my collection.

A Different Thought

2007-11-08T16:12:00.000-06:00

Last week Wednesday I had to go down to the County Courthouse for jury duty, and for some reason the strangest thing has stuck in my mind about this. Even stranger, it had nothing to do with the JD process itself.

The parking lot for people attending JD is a fair distance from the courthouse, so you have to take public transit between the two places (it's free with a JD badge). After I was done with the day, I started looking around for the bus stop for the ride back to the parking lot. While looking, I came across the stop used to get to the courthouse. One of the people waiting at that stop was a cute female with cat-ears (it was Halloween that day). I hung around a bit, then left to continue looking for my bus stop, wishing I had my camera to take her picture.

And then a thought came to me: Cute girls are still out there.

Now if only I can get one interested in me.

A few musings

2007-10-29T16:17:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd post a few random comments:

- The light bulb from this entry finally went out this weekend. Somehow it managed to hang on for 2 months more, but now that it's out, I don't have to shift that extra spare around.

- Still looking for new blogs to read. If you write one you think I'd be interested in, let me know.

- It's been a crazy month, and will be topped off by a crazy week. More when I finally close it all out.

From Summer to Cold

2007-10-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

One of the things I dislike about Texas is that it goes from summer to fall with no nice weather in between. For example, here are the afternoon high temps from the past few days:

Saturday - 91° (33°C)
Sunday - 90° (32°C)
Monday - 57° (14°C)

You just can't win with the weather here.

A Look at my TV (Fall 2007)

2007-10-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

OK, thought I'd go and do my TV thing again this year (the previous one can be found here. The format is the same as from before:

1) New show that I am watching
2) Returning show that I am watching
3) Returning show that I am no longer watching
4) Wildcard (basically, any show that you have watched)

New show that I am watching
None - I've tried to watch a few of the new shows on this year, but haven't become interested in any of them. Most of them I didn't even finish watching the first episode all the way through. I did enjoy Pirate Master, but that was a summer series and it got canceled before it completed its first season.

Returning show that I am watching
The Simpsons - Still going strong into its 19th season. There were a couple of weak years (and The Movie was so-so), but it seems to be sailing on an even keel currently. Glad to see they finally did a Richard Dean Anderson show, and am looking forward to the Sideshow Bob episode this year (also featuring Cecil and their dad).

Returning show that I am no longer watching
Heroes - This show got boring for me. I liked it initially, but it was too slow developing, got very predictable in spots, and had all this "360" crap you had to keep track of. (And whatever happened to the cop after he stopped the convenience store robbery anyways? It irritated me that they never explained that in the show.) The more I watched it, the more I became convinced this was a Sci-fi Channel show that somehow got bumped onto the big network.

Wildcard
Hogan's Heroes - Thought I'd give this show a plug and some credit, in part because one of the stations here started showing it again (although with quite a few cuts). This show helped me during those first days after I was RIF'd back in 1994, providing me with a much needed laugh.

Stressed

2007-09-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

Been kind of stressed out lately, so have been having a hard time getting in a frame of mind to blog. Over the past month, I've been to 3 different multi-day training classes for work (which meant some 5 AM wake-ups for me) and my mom spent a week in the hospital (she's at home now, so she's doing better). And the last 24 hours have been a real grinder with a myriad of problems. Ah well, hopefully I've got most of it behind me now.

Not the Brightest Lightbulb

2007-08-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

Recently I had one of those times where I reality pulled a fast one on me. You see, I have this group of lights in my bathroom, a 60W in the center with a 40W on each side. Normally I keep only one of each bulb in storage, but this has not worked well as the last few times the 40W bulbs have gone out about a day apart, leaving me with only one 40W until I do some shopping on the weekend. Well, a couple of weeks ago one of them went out again. So, when I went shopping later that day I bought two 40W to get ahead of the second one.

But it hasn't gone out yet. And now I'm having to shuffle the second spare bulb around, since I don't have room where I keep my spare lightbulbs. Sometimes you just can't win. (lol)

A Commute Less Hellish

2007-08-23T16:30:00.000-05:00

A while ago I wrote about a street I use to get to/from work here that is a pain. Recently, however, there have been some improvement regarding it. To wit, they have added 3 lanes to a freeway I used to use (and now use again), so now I am able to completely avoid the intersection at Valley View. And the lights at Belt Line now let my side go first on the way home.

Now if only there was a way to fill in the valley at Hurd. :)

Washed-Out Saturday

2007-08-08T14:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday was huge pain trying to get my laundry done. First my start time on my laundry was delayed as I had to dig through some stuff to try and find my cell-phone recharger. After wasting an hour or so doing that, I plug my phone in and finish putting stuff in my laundry basket.

I lug down my clothes to the laundry hut and begin loading them into the machines, when two plumbing trucks pull up. They can see me as I finish loading the machines, but decide just in case to ask if what they're doing will affect me. They say the hot water will be shut off for a few hours, so I move all the stuff back into my basket and lug it back up the slope. Three hours later, they finally finish, and I lug the basket back down and start it all over again.

Catching Up

2007-08-02T15:24:00.000-05:00

OK, I know it's been awhile; gomen nasai for not having posted lately. I have two items on my hobby of reading, so let's begin there.

Usually I have reading days every other Sunday, when I'm able to get my groceries and other errands done on the Saturday before. However, I recently took a Friday off on the other weekend, for two reasons: (1), to go and watch a movie (near-empty theaters are so fun to sit in) and (2) to finish up my errands on that day, leaving Saturday for laundry and getting Sunday as a bonus reading day to finish my last book. And it all pretty much worked as planned.

However, things didn't go as well when I ordered my next book to read. First, a glitch in the ordering system tacked on shipping charges when it shouldn't have (I only recently got that money back). Then, the order was delayed for some reason, causing it to miss my last reading day, leaving me with trying to find other stuff to do on that day. Hopefully I am now set for my next one, but I have to wait for next weekend for it.

What Holiday Was It?

2007-07-05T16:06:00.000-05:00

You would have thought yesterday was Independence Day, but on channel surfing I found a Christmas episode of That 70's Show, and a St. Patrick's Day one of According to Jim. And tonight is a Halloween episode of South Park.

Whatever happened to showing ID4?

The Places I Have Lived #3

2007-06-29T13:52:00.000-05:00

OK, thought I'd go back and continue an old series for my next post. This is a list of the places I have lived; the previous one can be found here.

This place, like the first two, is located in my hometown. My dad was Chief of Maintenance for a college, and rented it from the college; after we moved out in 1977, it was converted into housing for students. Being the only house on that side of the street, there were large fields on the north, west and east sides.

When we lived there, there was only one garage; the one on the left didn't exist. The door next to it was to a true breezeway, which went straight to the back and another door. My bedroom was at the window on the far right.

Watching the Game

2007-06-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

About a couple of weeks ago, I took a day off to watch a ballgame. Being a Minnesota Twins fan, you don't get many of their games down here, so when there is a game, I try to watch it. This particular game was a Wednesday afternoon game, so I wouldn't have to worry about staying up too late, or rushing to catch the game after work. However, the game was also available on TV.

So basically the decision was to shell out a bunch of money for expensive tickets, hot dogs, and parking, or watch it on TV in the air-conditioned comfort of home. If Thus, I chose the latter, enjoying it with my own hot dogs and sodas. If I had people to go with I probably would have done that, but I have discovered that by oneself it is a hassle.

After all, you can choose where you sit, but you can't choose who sits around you.

(FYI - Final Score: Minnesota 5, Texas 3)

Unplugged

2007-05-09T17:04:00.000-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night...

OK, now that I got that out of my system, I literally was in the dark this morning. Just got up, and while I was sitting on the edge of my bed, the power went out. So, I just crawled back into bed and waited for the power to come back, which it did an hour later.

I thought to myself, "Gee, I'm glad this didn't happen to me when I was in the shower." Unfortunately, the power did go out for a couple of minutes when I was in there. Twice.

Reset (Take 3)

2007-04-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

OK, I know I'm really bad at this. I'm even having to drag myself kicking and screaming just to write this. But, I'm kinda proud for getting this out. Other than that, not a whole lot going on different for me; life still mistreats me as usual.

Currently in that stressful time of year known as Dallas Stars playoff hockey. During this time I get knots in my stomach if the game is close, and can't sleep if there is a game in progress. This can be a real pain, especially if a game starts at 9 PM, and lasts 4 overtimes until after 2 AM. It's real fun going into work with less than 4 hours sleep, and a bit depressed because they lost the game. But, until they are out or win the Cup, this I will live with.

Thank Goodness it hasn't rubbed off on me!

2007-03-28T15:51:00.000-05:00

You Are 20% Texas

Damn Yankee! You think the sun comes up just to hear you crow.

How Texas Are You?

Blog Hunting

2007-02-13T14:22:00.000-06:00

As one might see from the list of links I currently have, a lot of the blogs that I liked to read have gone quiet. Ironically, this massive "falling by the wayside" has spurred me to working on mine more. But it still sucks, as I enjoyed reading about these people, and now I have to go out and find new ones to read that are just as good. Plus, they were my primary readers.

Mais Oui

2007-02-09T11:14:00.000-06:00

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris.
You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Here it goes again...

2007-02-08T14:54:00.000-06:00

It happened again today. Once again, I was passed over for something I've wanted and worked for (years in this case). But what really frosts me over is seeing stuff like this handed out to other people like candy. More proof that the universe just hates me.

Frozen

2007-01-16T15:23:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was interesting, and a pain in the butt; it was freezing rain all weekend. Not only was I pretty much shut in all weekend (which did allow me to start reading my new book), but I wasn't even able to do laundry. Not a good idea for someone with a bad arm to carry baskets up and down a slippery slope. Plus, I had to take a 1/2 day of vacation Monday morning. My car doors were iced shut, and I had to wait for the sun to melt it some in order to get in my car.

Also, my digital camera suffered from something on the trip back; all of the pictures I took were inaccessible, forever frozen away from me.

New Things

2006-12-15T17:01:00.000-06:00

Well, I have a couple of new things now. Got myself an inexpensive digital camera so I can start adding pics to this blog; it's not much (and it uses batteries like crazy), but it should do the trick for here (see below). Also bought myself a cassette adapter so I can use my MP3 player in the car. Man, that's nice; wish I would have gotten it earlier. And BTW, for the holder I got a thick plastic tumbler I put in the cup holder. Works quite nice.

Hopefully with the camera and the holiday break coming up, I should get this blog back into gear. Catch you all later.

Quick Post

2006-12-07T16:55:00.000-06:00

Hi, there. Wish I could have posted more lately, but things have been real busy for me. And then I had to have surgery on my arm again; one of the wires in my arm became loose, and have to be removed.

Reset (Take 2)

2006-10-19T16:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm slowly recovering. I have a bit more use of my arm, and am working 1/2-days for now. For those who were wondering, I broke my right arm around the elbow (and yes, I am right-handed).

Hopefully, I should be able to post a bit more often now. For those loyal people who still read this, please post a comment to let me know. Thanks.

A break in the action

2006-09-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around much lately, but I broke an arm back on Labor Day weekend. Hopefully will be able to return to a more normal schedule soon.

Reset

2006-08-30T16:46:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get back into the blogging mode, but some days it is just difficult. Sometimes a lot of stuff happens and a person is too busy to write, while other times nothing happens. But, I figured I'd give it one more go around, and see how that goes.

Not Your Typical Weekend

2006-07-24T14:16:00.000-05:00

This last weekend turned out to be a strange one indeed. On Friday I must have twisted my right foot a bit, because by evening it was hurting. This pretty much confined me to my chair watching TV for the night.

Saturday I had to get groceries, and it took me visits to 4 different stores to get it completed enough. It's all part of the downside of living by oneself; if something needs to be done, YOU have to do it. (Now if I could only get some upside.) Fortunately, the pain wasn't too bad throughout the day.

Sunday saw the weirdest turn of events. Deciding to stay home in order to take it easy on my feet, I started out with some reading on a new book I got. Later on I turned on the TV, deciding to flip around the channels before watching the news and my usual Sunday block of TV (The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy). However, a police chase involving a semi-truck that was commandeered was taking place, so most of my viewing options that night were limited to watching a slow speed chase of a semi (with its front axle running on the rims) along I-20.

One book down

2006-07-10T15:28:00.000-05:00

I finished the book I was reading yesterday. I had to stay up a bit later than usual (so I am a bit tired today), but I was close to the end and wanted to complete it. Now I just have to decide on my next book to read.

Spending a Day Earned

2006-06-28T16:25:00.000-05:00

I've been a bit busy lately; so busy, that last Sunday was the first day I had to myself for a month and a half. And I think I did pretty good with it. I put a large dent in the book I'm still reading, spend a little time on-line, and then watched my usual Sunday night TV (Simpsons and Family Guy).

The Places I Have Lived #2*

2006-06-16T12:25:00.000-05:00

There is currently nothing there right now, but what you are looking at is Lot 510 of a trailer park. (Yes, that's right; I was once trailer-park trash. [lol]) I don't remember much (if anything) about this place, since we moved away from it while I was a toddler.

*[Note: You have not missed #1. The numbering is in order of the places I have lived, and I was unable to visit the first location last trip.]

At last, some reading

2006-05-16T16:47:00.000-05:00

I finally got to do some reading last Sunday. It was very nice to do but setting aside the precious time required was a difficult task indeed. I had to shift all of my errands to Saturday, and that made for a very long day; I didn't eat dinner until 1 AM, and get to bed at 3 AM.

The effect from this spilled over into later Sunday, as I didn't awake until after 10 AM, and still had a few things "in house" to do. Eventually, though, I managed to get enough done and relaxed into my chair with my book, and got a few chapters read. Hopefully I can set this up soon again, but it may be a while before I can.

Book Report

2006-04-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you wondering, I got the book. In fact, all parts of this went pretty much as expected, which was a pleasant surprise. The book came in last Thursday, and was in one of the parcel lockers when I got home that night. The final part of this process was checked off on Sunday when I was able to add to the gift-card I have. Now if I can only find some time to read.

Back to the Books

2006-04-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

One of the things I used to enjoy a lot was reading. And it wasn't just the material that I read; it was also the ambiance that I set up for myself: listening to music (usually an instrumental soundtrack [i.e., Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.]), a glass of soda with ice to drink and a candy-bar to munch on. But, I fell out of the habit and have gotten well behind on some of the series I've liked to read.

However, I am now trying out something to change that. First, I've put some work into organizing and re-working my music collection. Also (and of more importance) I may have an easier way to get a book now. One of the work benefits I have is to order books on-line from one of the large chains and get free shipping on the order. Plus, there was a box I could check on my profile that will should send the order through USPS instead of UPS; we have parcel lockers at our mail hut, so I can pick it up with my mail instead of worrying about a drop-off. I'm also hoping that the gift-card I used is reloadable (they said it was), thus eliminating the need to use a credit card on-line.

So, that's where this experiment in restarting my reading stands for now. Updates as warranted. (And for those of you curious, the book I ordered for this test is Servant of the Shard by R. A. Salvatore.)

Blogthings Post Filler #4 (I'm still here)

2006-04-04T16:06:00.000-05:00

You Have a Melancholic Temperament

Introspective and reflective, you think about everything and anything.
You are a soft-hearted daydreamer. You long for your ideal life.
You love silence and solitude. Everyday life is usually too chaotic for you.

Given enough time alone, it's easy for you to find inner peace.
You tend to be spiritual, having found your own meaning of life.
Wise and patient, you can help people through difficult times.

At your worst, you brood and sulk. Your negative thoughts can trap you.
You are reserved and withdrawn. This makes it hard to connect to others.
You tend to over think small things, making decisions difficult.

What Temperment Are You?

Troy-speak #1: Hermit Day

2006-03-23T16:03:00.000-06:00

hermit day (n) - A Hermit Day is a day where I don't leave the apartment. Normally occurring on a Sunday, I'll generally just take it easy and watch TV all day (what usually is on are some cheesy movies and infomercials) while snacking on stuff.

Homer and me (aka Blogthings Post Filler #3)

2006-03-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

You Are Homer Simpson

You're just an ordinary, all-American working Joe...

With a special fondness for pork rinds and donuts.

You will be remembered for: your little "isms" and philosophies on life

Your life philosophy: "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel."

The Simpsons Personality Test

Actually, I think Homer has it better than me. He has a wife/gf, and a place where he can hang out with friends. Things I'm unfortunately short on currently.

"A man who envies our family is a man who needs help." -- Lisa Simpson, [Like Father, Like Clown]

Self-Portrait in Fourths

2006-03-09T14:02:00.000-06:00

Recently I was tagged by my blog-friend Suzanne. Normally I'm not fond of tagging, but I like her blog, so I accepted. Here is the result:

Four jobs I've had in my life:
• Pizza Delivery Driver
• Hamburger Flipper
• Building Maintenance
• Computer Programmer

Four movies I can watch over and over again:
• Ghostbusters
• Spaceballs
• Independence Day
• LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring (extended version)

Four places I have lived:
• A trailer park
• A student dorm
• A friend's place
• An apartment

Four TV shows I love to watch:
• The Simpsons
• Hogan's Heroes
• Iron Chef
• Married...with Children

Four places I have been on vacation:
• San Jose, CA
• Oakland, CA
• Anaheim, CA
• Chicago, IL

Four web sites I visit daily:
• Robotech.com
• Rose is Rose
• Drudge Report
• Zap2it.com (for the TV listings)

Four of my favorite foods:
• Chicken Fried Rice
• Fried Chicken
• BBQ
• Taco Burger and Potato Oles from Taco John's

Four places I would rather be right now:
• Relaxing at a friend's place
• Watching a hockey game
• Somewhere quiet, where I can listen to my music
• Sitting down with a good book

Paved with Good Intentions

2006-02-27T11:59:00.000-06:00

Most streets are built with the good intention of getting people to and from somewhere quickly. However, one of the roads I take in my daily commute (Walnut Hill Lane, an east-west street) makes me think that if I got a hold of the plans, I would see that the Head Designer for it would be signed "B. L. ZüBubb". In support of my theory, I offer the following three intersections:

Walnut Hill Lane @ Valley View Lane - On the eastern edge of this intersection is large dip; a former co-worker of mine described it as a "gully washer". And since my car doesn't have a high clearance, I have to remember to take that part slow. With good traffic on other roads I can avoid this intersection.

Walnut Hill Lane @ Belt Line Road - The diabolical part of this intersection is in the timing pattern of the lights; Belt Line, then one side of Walnut Hill, then the other side. The thing is, for the two times I go through this intersection, I'm always on the last side of Walnut Hill to go through.

Walnut Hill Lane @ Hurd Drive - This is the most evil part of the street that I go on. The intersection is at the bottom of a small valley, so if the light changes when you approach it from either direction, you have to bring your car to a stop while going downhill.

Five at Random

2006-02-16T09:57:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get this blog up to at least one entry per week; however, things have been a bit slow lately for me. But instead of just another helping of Blogthings, I thought I would do a little twist on something I've seen and give you a peek at my music collection. So I pulled up my main music playlist, hit shuffle, and wrote down the first 5 songs that came up:

John Cena - Basic Thugonomics
Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter
Genesis - Land of Confusion
Heart - These Dreams
Elton John - Nikita

Geekness Cubed

2006-02-02T10:52:00.000-06:00

I have gone back to one of my old ways.* I am once again using a Rubik's Cube.

I first got one of these back in high school. Later on, I got a book with the solution to it. With practice I was able to memorize the book, and was soon solving the cubes of people who had given up hope. But after a while I fell out of practice. (And somewhere along the line, I lost the book.)

However, as stated earlier, one of the shows I watch is Beauty and the Geek. This season, one of the contestants (who just got eliminated) is one of the top speedcubers in the world. And so I felt the pull again.

After some searching, I decided to try this solution, and got out the cube I have with me and scrambled it. I have noticed some differences between this one and the one I used to know; I feel like a quarterback who has to learn a new system. So far I have the first 3 Steps down, and am working on the rest.

* I would have liked to use Prof. Frink's line "I've re-dorkulated", but that would've required me to have un-dorkulated at some point.

Blogthings Post Filler #2 (or "Mmmm...donuts")

2006-01-17T15:10:00.000-06:00

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that.
You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness.
Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you.
And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

Return Trip with a Stop-over in Hell

2006-01-05T11:01:00.000-06:00

Air travel stresses me out. It's not the actual flying that bothers me; I think that part is neat. It's all the other crap that you have to put up with in order to fly.

For example, my trip back from the holidays. My hometown is not very large, and neither is the airport. Now, this used to be a real kick-ass advantage, 'cause if you happened to show up just before the plane's scheduled to take off, they'd just grab you and your luggage and toss you on board. Not any more. Since the airline has so few people working there now, they have to do multiple jobs, and the ticket counter is shut down 30 minutes before the flight, 'cause that person has to go do something else. So when I came in 23 minutes before the flight, I was screwed (and not in a good way). I had to sit there and wait and watch my flight take off before someone would help me rebook. Next flight out is about 3 hours later, and only has a 55-minute connection (there goes my plan of eating at Chili's Too). I check in my bag, and go back with the folks until the next flight.

Next is the fun of getting through security. You show your boarding pass and ID to an agent to get to the screeners, and then show them again to the screeners. I mean, wtf is going to happen in that span of 5 feet? Then you have to put your stuff into lots of separate containers. First I have a coat (1), plus my work laptop (2) [that I had to take with me in order to get the week between X-mas and New Year's off (grumble)] and laptop bag (3), and finally my shoes (4). Once on the other side, I have to collect all the containers and put everything back where they were.

So I finally get to MSP, and it's a mess. The gate we are to use is still occupied, so we have to wait until it leaves. Funny thing is that I can see the other plane from my window, and it took its sweet time in leaving. So now my 55-minute connection is down to 30. I dash through MSP when I see that there is no line at a Godfather's Pizza stand. Since this is my last chance to get Godfather's for a while (there isn't one near me in TX, and the one in my hometown closed in 2005), I risked the 2 minutes to get a personal pepperoni pizza and ate it as I resumed the trek to my flight.

Then on the final part of my flying trip, I was stuck in an aisle seat. Y'see, I prefer a window seat, and will even take a middle seat over an aisle, 'cause some people aren't too careful with their stuff as they walk by. As an additional torment, I am only two rows behind first class, and can smell the meals they are getting for the rest of the flight. They don't even give you free pretzels in coach anymore; good thing I had that pizza.

When we finally reach the ground in TX, we had to wait a while before they could get the door open. I had my laptop bag in an overhead a bit farther back in the plane, so I start letting people in the rows behind me by so I can get to it. But this old lady that sat next to me starts pushing me in the back trying to get out. I repeatedly tell her to stop pushing me, but she keeps on doing it. I go back and grab my bag when I get the chance opens up. As I'm coming up on the old lady in the jet-bridge as I'm heading out, the woman who was traveling with her sees me and shouts at me "Give her a break; she's 93!" I wanted to say back "Senility is no excuse," but held my tongue and stormed on past them. By some miracle my suitcase made the connection, and I was finally able to leave the air-travel system.

So now, I am back where I don't have to travel again for a long, long time. My mom wants me to come up during the summer. I told her, "Only if I can drive."

Baggage Issues

2005-12-27T16:47:00.000-06:00

[Editor's note: This was originally scheduled to go up on 12/22, but was delayed.]

I've had to deal with some issues regarding baggage lately. Problem is, some aren't so easy to deal with than others.

One is that I had to get a new suitcase for a trip. I'm not that good at judging suitcase sizes, and since they were out of the medium size, I bought the large one (and it was big). I didn't think about whether or not it was too large until a few days later, so I checked the airline's website. The maximum for a non-oversized bag was 62 linear inches, so I used the dimensions of my new suitcase to determine its size. The result: 62.5 linear inches.

Now, I wasn't about to spend an extra $80 bucks (each way) to take a $40 suitcase with me, so I had to make another trip back to the store to exchange it. Luckily they had the medium size in-stock this time, so I got a refund on the first one and then bought the second one. End of that issue.

Unfortunately, an issue with some other "baggage" has popped up again. Twice in the last week I've had to endure a certain type of dream. I was upset at the first one (which featured a generic cute girl), but the second one was even eviler, involving the girl I felt the closest connection to while at college. It just seems that reality doesn't want to fight fair with me.

A change of Thanksgivings

2005-12-05T15:09:00.000-06:00

A bit belated, but since a few others have mentioned what they did for Thanksgiving, here's a recap of what I did: not much (and that's the way I wanted it).

Most of the time I've been in Texas I had gone to my aunt's for Turkey-Day. But the last few years haven't been much fun there, and after what happened last year (I'll be a nice guy and not mention it here), I decided to simply stay put this time.

And it was a nice, relaxing day. I got to watch both football games this year, listened to "Alice's Restaurant" on the radio, and channel surfed when bored. I had chopped turkey sandwiches, potato chips and black olives to eat throughout the day. Plus I was already home when I decided to call it a day.

All in all, not a bad day.

Blogthing Post Filler

2005-11-22T12:26:00.000-06:00

Usually I'm not fond of these 'cause they're off, but this one seems to be accurate:

Your Ideal Relationship is Serious Dating

You're not ready to go walking down the aisle.
But you may be ready in a couple of years.
You prefer to date one on one, with a commitment.
And while chemistry is important, so is compatibility.

What's Your Ideal Relationship?

Time Travelling

2005-11-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

I have a very weird thought process, and some of the ideas that come up in it are "unique". Here is a recent one that I think is another cake-taker.

Problem: I had an early morning workshop at work early Tuesday morning. Not only does it start a bit earlier that when I usually get there, I have to get there even earlier to grab my laptop and a CAT5 cable and get set up in a conference room and do my morning checks before it starts.

Solution: Use that unholy creation known as Daylight Savings Time to my benefit by extending it a few days. (I don't like DST, and now they are planning to extend it next year. If it's so freakin' great, why don't we just set our clocks ahead and leave them there? But I digress.) By keeping my internal clock on the old time, I was able to show up to work an hour earlier than usual and pick up that extra hour during the week, when I could use it more.

A look at my TV (Fall 2005)

2005-10-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be interesting to offer a look at what shows I watch on TV, and add a few thoughts about them. Rather than list all of them, I decided to create 4 categories and select one show from each.

Here is the format. If you feel inclined to do something like this, please let me know so I can see your choices.
1) New show that I am watching
2) Returning show that I am watching
3) Returning show that I am no longer watching
4) Wildcard (basically, any show that you have watched)

New show that I am watching
Stargate Atlantis - This one gets the slot by default, and it may not be around much longer if it doesn't shape up. I don't like the characters, and they seem to be ignoring a lot of the "stargate physics" established in SG-1.

Returning show that I am watching
Family Guy - All hail Stewie!! Hopefully the network has finally learned its lesson (after canceling it twice) and will keep it around for a while this time. Adam West playing himself as the mayor of the town is hilarious.

Returning show that I am no longer watching
Charmed - This show has pretty much run its course with me. At the beginning it was neat, with the sisters struggling to learn their craft and powers, and nice character development. Then suddenly they became über-witches pulling spells out of thin air, and character development came to a halt. With last season's finale designed to act as a series finale (the decision to renew had not been made when it was written), I decided to call it quits on this series.

Wildcard
Beauty and the Geek - I'll have to admit a Machiavellian interest in first watching this show, namely to see the beauties get a bit of a "comeupance" in finding out that us socially-inept geeks are good-hearted people too. Don't know how B&TG2 will play out with the contestants knowing the premise of the series beforehand.

Not even in there

2005-10-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

One of the things I've had trouble conveying to some people on IRC is just how unattractive I feel, mainly because of the incredibly high rate of rejection I've suffered. I don't know what it is; maybe I look better when viewed from at least one state away. Hopefully, this story from last Sunday will better illustrate how scarred my psyche is.

I was at a mall and turned into a store when I ran into a girl I haven't seen since high school named Lynn (think Laura Prepon with a bit tougher build but the same long, red hair). We started to talk, and we clicked so well that we spent the rest of the day with each other.

However, when we talked about where we each lived, she told me that she was now living in LA and was here on business, returning back to California later that night. I was so depressed that I didn't even get her number or address before she left for the airport.

Then I woke up. And realized that once again, even in my dreams I can't get the girl.

For lack of a better post (or life)

2005-09-29T13:52:00.000-05:00

I figured that I'd better post again, lest people think I have abandoned this blog. But it's kind of hard to write stuff when you don't have a life.

I'm pretty much isolated down here. When I do find people to do stuff with, something always happens. They get married or move away or something, usually within a year. And forget about a g/f; no girl seems to be interested in me.

So my life has pretty much a routine of work, eat, chores and sleep. Yea.

T.G.I.M.

2005-08-29T16:07:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the weekends aren't all their cracked up to be. Weekends are when I schedule my major chores, and lately they have been a real pain. Two weekends ago, I lost/had stolen 2 t-shirts from my laundry, both of them favorites. Last Saturday, I had a freak accident inside my shopping cart where one of the items soaked stuff in the rest of my cart. And ya just can't sleep in like you used to, 'cause your body's so programmed to get up early.