tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83828562024-03-07T00:37:50.225-06:00Mike's BlogTo boldly blog what no man has blogged before. Enjoy at your own risk!!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1153945125006721542006-07-26T15:08:00.000-05:002006-08-31T01:37:29.356-05:00Caption This!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7035/565/1600/shiddy.0.jpg"><img style="float:bottom; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7035/565/320/shiddy.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">My entry:<BR>A real life representation of the week I had last week.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1153510400281169282006-07-21T14:32:00.000-05:002006-07-26T15:35:47.173-05:00Parking TicketI just got a $30 parking ticket for parking on the sidewalk. Only there was no sidewalk. So how could I have parked on it? They might as well have put, "Parked on sidewalk and duck" on the ticket because there wasn't a <BR>f%#king duck there either!<br /><br /><strong>UPDATE:</strong><br /><em>I paid the ticket online. Yes, a weak moment, I know. But I knew if I didn't I would forget about it and after 15 days it goes up to 55 bucks! The nice lady who has the misfortune of answering the phone number on the back of the ticket told me that even if I intented to fight it I should still go ahead and pay it. That way in the event I score a devistating win against the city they can refund my money and I will not incur late penalties. So there is still hope of me sticking it to the man cause dammit there is no sidewalk there!</em>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1135746262866053252005-12-27T23:02:00.000-06:002005-12-30T15:25:13.813-06:00The Holiday HangoverIs anyone else feeling this? The sort of grogginess of waking up from too much Christmas cheer, or turkey. It always seems like there is so much buildup to Christmas that when it comes and goes it leaves you with a feeling of blah. I speculate that this stems from a complete and total refocus of what Christmas is really about. I didn't go to church this year around Christmas. In fact, I haven't gone to church much this year. Call it laziness, call it whatever, but it definitely makes me feel a bit adrift as a person. But not all the time and thats really the problem. My life gets filled up with all these side projects and hobbies and things that make us so "busy", that I tend to forget how centered I feel after a powerful message that hits me right between the eyes on Sunday morning. Something like that is good, especially during Christmas time. It allows me to see through the fog of consumerism to the real reason for Christmas. Don't get me wrong here. I love giving and receiving gifts, but they are not going to fill that empty spot inside. Neither will turkey.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1130897942357136712005-11-01T20:18:00.000-06:002005-11-01T23:11:40.823-06:00...And then it was goneI wish I was saying that about the Inwood Theatre!<br /><br />It all started with my new route home. Since its getting darker earlier I've decided to take an alternate route home from work. Have I mentioned that I hate that it is pitch black by the time I leave work?! So this alternate route takes me by a Walgreens (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B0009W5ITW001013/0/102-6380396-5112946">or as I call it "<em>the Wall</em>"</a>). Since I didn't partake of any treat gathering Halloween expeditions I wanted to score some discounted individually wrapped treats from the Wall. I figured while I was there I would pick up a couple of other items which would keep me from having to make a trip to the grocery store. Turns out they didn't have what I wanted, but did have individually wrapped chocolately treats at discounted prices, so I partook. <br /><br />So I figure I'll drop in to the local Tom Thumb and pick up the things I need. I should have noticed right away that something was awry when I was actually able to find a parking spot up front. I headed in and was immediately met with a sign that read, "STORE CLOSING, DEEP DISCOUNTS". WHAAAAT?! How is the store closing?! Every friggin time I've been there I am hip deep in people! There are always long lines at the registers! How is this happening?! I walked down the empty aisles hoping they would actually have the things I needed. No milk, no ziploc bags, no Fruity Pebbles (ok, I wasn't looking for Fruity Pebbles, but that was funny to type). The stuff they did have left was totally random though. Like 500 different types of olive oil, and Brita water pitcher filters and 40 packages of bacon and shiddy beer. It was like being in a bad grocery shopping dream. I turned up one aisle and there were 4 people, none of which were together, standing in front of about 7 boxes of varied types of crakers. I paused for a second before turning around. Half hoping to see one person grab all 7 boxes and get tackled by the other 3. <br /><br />Everything was 20% off and I was about to find a couple of random items to buy, but I was still going to have to make another stop and I dreaded it. You see, there are only 2 other grocery stores around me. Once is a Whole Foods, which if you are into the whole health food, nuts and grains, vanilla yogart enema thing, its your place. But otherwise its only saving graces are the good selection of baked goods and the Jamba Juice inside. <br /><br />The second, and more feasible option is the Kroger across the street from the now defunct Tom Thumb. This place is wrecked, filthy, and full of (<em>how can I put this nicely? lets just say...</em>) dirty people. This is the place where there are no parking spots because they are taken up by drug dealers pushing their crap out of their cars. Once you do manage to find a spot, its probably got a buggy in it. ARRRRGH!! And I just learned what was where in my Tom Thumb! I wandered the jam packed aisles of the Kroger looking for 3 items! My head was ready to explode. And this is one of those grocery stores that they built too small, so the aisles are too close together and you have to stand with your back to the other aisle to look at the shelves. If you've been in one you know what I'm talking about.<br /><br />Once I found the items I was looking for I headed for the front. Every register that was open was 4 deep, the express lane had at least 6 people in it! Even the self checkout kiosks were backed up. I took a deep breathe and got in line for the self checkout. Now this is comedy! People get up to these things and turn retarded! They don't know when to scan, when to swipe their card. <strong>THE DAMN THING TALKS TO YOU! DO AS IT SAYS AND NO ONE GETS HURT!!</strong> I stood there for 5 minutes giggling to myself before it was my turn. Scan, scan, scan, scan, swipe, reciept, done! I ran to my car, threw my bag in the back and headed home.<br /><br />The point to this long story? I'm driving to the Simon David on Inwood for my grocery needs!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1128834921614810142005-10-08T23:47:00.000-05:002005-10-09T00:15:21.673-05:00Goodbye Inwood Theatre...it was not fun while it lasted. Ally and I saw our last movie ever at the Inwood Theatre tonight. You know, that kitchy, hip little neighborhood theatre in Inwood Village, with the bar in it and the staff with way too many tattoos and piercings? Yeah, that one. <br /><br />Tonight we went to see the 9:40PM showing of History of Violence. But the problem wasn't the movie and frankly I prefer not to focus on that part of the bad experience. I would rather focus on the old dirty man that was getting jerked off in the row behind me by a girl a third his age. And if that wasn't enough, they decided while they weren't doing "other things" they would actually give us a running commentary of what they thought about <strong>EVERY FRIGGIN LINE OF THE MOVIE! KILL ME NOW</strong>! I am almost positive that there is a special circle of hell reserved for people who talk during movies. If there isn't there should be! Since when is it acceptable to a conversation in a normal speaking volume with another person during a movie?! <br /><br /><strong>NEVER! NEVER EVER NEVER!</strong><br /><br />After enduring this for a third of the movie I turned around and said "Do you mind not talking during the movie?" The guy says to me "have a nice day!" What?!?! After that they actually did stop talking....FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES! <br /><em>(this is the sound of Mike's head exploding)</em><br />I gritted my teeth for the rest of the film and somehow managed to leave the theatre without killing someone. And by the way...if you are going to have a bar in your lobby...insulate the theatres so you don't have to hear a bunch of drunks screaming the whole movie. Just a tip. Actually, don't change a thing Inwood theatre. You just keep on doin it like ya do, cause I ain't comin back so I'll never know the damn difference. <em>(yeah, i got all trailer park there for a minute)</em><br /><br />But actually my faith in the goodness/purity/etc of humanity was restored <em>(read: not really)</em> when I stopped at the local Krogers to pick up a couple of pints of Blue Bell and saw someone peddling crack out of his pickup in the parking lot.<br /><br />Where'd all the good people go?Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1128574185764595702005-10-05T23:49:00.000-05:002007-02-18T02:05:36.121-06:00Hump Day UpdateI can't believe people still read this blog. The comments were great on the Saturday update. Keep 'em coming.<br /><br />So I'm back at the apartment after hanging out at Al's tonight. She made us delicious pot roast and muffins for our <a href="http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.html" target="_blank">LOST</a> watching party. I say party, but it was really just her, me and Kitty. Kitty was lucky enough to be able to hang with us tonight. Eventhough she is a little skittish and very needy when she visits other places its good for her to get out. I am hoping that once it starts to get cool again, we can start walking on a regular basis. And by walking I mean further than the small patch of grass by my apartment that we walk to everyday for her to do her biz...<a href="http://mikeblogging.blogspot.com/2005/10/things-i-learned-on-saturday-morning.html" target="_blank">that is when she isn't exploding all over my bathroom</a>. We'll be headed North of course, since South is a bit...well...umm...<em>urban</em>. Speaking of it getting cooler, that is supposed to happen for the first time, FOR REAL, tonight. The high tomorrow is supposed to be 66. I can't wait. Bring on the cooler weather because we've had more than our share of hot. I am sick of the meteor, meatyor, <strong>WEATHER PEOPLE</strong> saying we are 20 or 15 or 18 degrees above average for this time of year. "<em>SCORCHED EARTH TO WEATHERGUY: WE GET IT, WE WERE JUST OUTSIDE TOO AND FELT OUR PARTS STICKING TOGETHER! CRYSTAL, THANKS!</em>" <br /><br />Speaking of the clever "earth to" phrase, I was listening to the radio this morning on the way to work and the DJs were doing this game where they act out an obscure scene to a movie and people have to call in and guess the movie. I've heard them do this before and most of the time I know the movie, but today they were doing the "Earth to Matilda" scene from Zoolander and I felt compelled to call in and try to win. I don't know if you've tried this lately, but I am pretty sure it's damn near IMPOSSIBLE! I have tried to call in and win crap on the radio dozens of times in my lifetime and have NEVER gotten through. <strong>NEVER!!</strong> Am I doing something wrong? Is there a special key sequence I am supposed to be entering that no one has been nice enough to clue me in to? If so, screw you guys for keeping me in the dark! The only time I have ever made it on a live radio show was about 3 years ago when I called in to the Ticket during the Cowboys Show and told them they should have picked up Drew Bledsoe. They laughed at me! Umm, excuse me Ticket dillholes (Dale Hansen especially, he should be crowned dillhole king), who is the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys now? But enough about me being right...and seemingly clairvoyant. I'm going to bed.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1128185521655794792005-10-01T11:50:00.000-05:002005-10-01T22:29:55.473-05:00Things I Learned on a Saturday MorningThings I Learned on a Saturday Morning...<br /><br />1. When you wake up at 8am and you don't have to be up. GO BACK TO BED AFTER PEEING!<br />2. Do not take a shower before you have made plans for the day. Inevitably you will get sucked into laundry and cleaning your place and get funky again. <br />3. Fried Fair Food (or as I like to call it "The Triple F") will cure a chronic upset tum-tum.<br />4. Do not ignore your dog acting batshit crazy after feeding her several tortillas the night before. If you have the mistake of doing this, they will explode in a flurry of 1s and 2s all over your domicile. <br />5. No amount of <a href="http://www.homemadesimple.com/febreze/products/meadows.shtml" target="_blank">Febreeze Air Effects Meadows & Rain</a> will overpower the smell of dog 1s and 2s. <br />6. There is no good or easy way to clean up ankle deep dog pee. Paper towels have to picked up after being completely saturated and the "deep ridges" of <a href="http://www.homemadesimple.com/swiffer/usenglish/products/dry.shtml" target="_blank">Swiffer Dry Pads</a> are not deep enough.<br />7. Zen focus and mind-over-matter are not effective in stopping the gag reflex while picking up no-so-solid dog numero dos.<br />8. Dogs forget a "NO NO, BAD DOG!" spanking in approximately 7 minutes or when a food wrapper is opened. Which ever comes first.<br />9. <a href="http://www.homemadesimple.com/swiffer/usenglish/products/wet.shtml" target="_blank">Swiffer Wet</a> pads create dust balls in the corners that have to be manually picked up.<br />10. Rubber backed bath mats can launch your washing machine into orbit during the spin cycle. It may be necessary to rebalance the load at this point.<br />11. While holding the lid button down watching the load spin you run the risk of losing your finger if the washer begins to spin violently.<br />12. It is <strong>ALWAYS</strong> a bad idea to stabilize the center agregating pole of a washing machine with your hands during the spin cycle while manually holding down the lid button.<br />13. Washing machines spin <strong>FAST</strong>!<br />14. A sure fire way to see all the neighbors you've never seen in the 5 months you've lived in your complex is to take out your trash sweaty while wearing flip flops and gym shorts.<br />15. When you think of something for your grocery list, WRITE IT DOWN THEN, because when you sit down to make your list all you remember is milk.<br />16. Paying rent sucks.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1126794699549096712005-09-15T09:31:00.000-05:002005-10-10T18:54:55.130-05:00Britney's Baby<a href="http://www.hollywoodrag.com/index.php?/weblog/britney_spears_is_giving_birth/" target="_blank">Britney Spears has her monkey baby</a>. Truly a comedy goldmine! It just goes to show that with hard work (<em>on your back</em>), being totally classy (<em>white trash</em>), and finding the perfect man (<em>to blow through all that is left of your earnings from all your lousy albums</em>) anyone can chase their dreams and bring life (<em>read: waste of</em>) into this world.<br /><br />I can just see it in a couple of months when all the money is gone and <a href="http://www.hollywoodrag.com/images/uploads/brit_interview_mag.jpg" target="_blank">the Federline's</a> are back in Humpurunkle, Louisiana. All the kids running around with permanant Kool-Aid mustaches...Britney preggo with her 4th...<a href="http://www.hollywoodrag.com/images/uploads/brit_kevin_ferrari.jpg" target="_blank">their Ferrari up on blocks in the yard</a>. Ah, the simple life!<br /><br />The insane, every-little-detail coverage has reached a new high (<em>LOW</em>) when I am forced to come out of the woodwork and make fun of it. We need to round up all the people in the world that were genuinely excited to hear the news of Britney's monkey being born, put them on a bus, and drive it off a cliff. This may seem harsh, but I assure you it will make the world a better place in the long run. Who am I kidding, IN THE SHORT RUN EVEN! Anyway, that's my two pennies.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1126501122239033512005-09-11T23:55:00.000-05:002005-09-12T00:01:29.123-05:00Never ForgetSo I am back at blogger blogging. Everyone can think <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/7926445">Mike Harrison</a> who left me a comment after stumbling upon my blog. If it wasn't for him I might not have made it back to post an entry.<br /><br />Al and I watched <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/flight/flight.html">The Flight That Fought Back</a> about United Flight 93 that went down in Pennsylvania on September 11th. If you guys missed it I strongly recommend trying to catch a rerun of it. They are bound to show it several more times. It really brings into perspective the lives that were lost and the courage of everyday people faced with adversity. It makes me analyze how I would react to something like that. Either dealing with it first hand like they did on the airplane or living with the loss of a loved one who was aboard.<br /><br />The movie took me back to that day, complete with all it's emotions. Otherwise I think I would have gone through today like any other day. Sure I knew it was September 11th and just like every September 11th since, I thought about what happened four years ago and wondered if "they" would every try anything again on this day (or any day for that matter). But I was too lax today and I hadn't thought about the lives that were lost and the familes effected by the greatest American tragedy of my lifetime. So as the last minutes of September 11th wind down, I say a prayer for the men and women who paid the ultimate price 4 years ago and for their families who continue to suffer...may God instill peace in their hearts.<br /><br /><center><strong>NEVER FORGET</strong><br /><img src="http://a1259.g.akamai.net/f/1259/5586/1d/images.art.com/images/PRODUCTS/large/10087000/10087317.jpg"></center>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1120831622303492272005-07-08T10:03:00.000-05:002005-07-08T10:11:13.266-05:00More TalityHave you ever had days where you feel your mortality more than others? <br /><br />I'm having one of those days today. After sleeping in a little too late I awoke to the tune of Linkin Park (my ringtone of choice at this point). It was my mom being very serious, very motherly, and telling me that she had to tell me something. You never tell someone you have to tell them something unless it is important, so my sleepy haze was wiped clean instantaneously. She started off saying, "I don't want to ruin your big weekend, but I want you to be careful this weekend and not drink a lot like you guys plan on doing." My weekend plans consist of jumping in the car with my brother and my cousin and booking it down to New Braunfels for a weekend of floating, drinking, and generally just barking at the moon. My mom continued with a warning that I may now have a kidney condition after my recent bout with gout (yeah it was bad, no I am not 70, yes that did rhyme). This brings me back to my overwelming feeling of mortality. Since last weekend I have been thinking about my health and life in general. Do I have a medical condition? Even if I don't, how can I change my life to live healthier? Why have I not enrolled in medical insurance yet? (Stoopid, stoopid, stoopid) How does cold fusion really work? Ok, so not the last one as much. I've always been one of those people that avoid doctors, medicine and anything that would make it seem as if I wasn't bangin-on-all-cylinders healthy. I am coming to realize that is not necessarily the best attitude to have about my health. <br /><br />I think this all ties in to the sort of "wheels off" feeling I have had about my life lately. I think I was under the impression that once I graduated college, got my own place, a good job, etc I would be on easy street. The truth of the matter is things have been harder than ever before. I've been gliding along watching the scenery scream by with no real bearings. Where am I headed? What do I ultimately want to do with my life? How many more introspective questions will I ask myself in this post?Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1118884782260315402005-06-15T20:17:00.000-05:002005-06-15T20:19:42.266-05:00More Long HoursSo I've been working more long hours this week. Last night I was at the office until 9 and tonight I was there til 7ish. I do have to say that I'm learning a ton and seriously developing my database skills. <em>Chicks dig guys with skills</em>. Lately by the time I get home it's dark, I'm tired and the last thing I want to do is type in this blog or even look at another computer. I'm hooked on <a href="http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/" target="_blank">GTA: San Andreas</a>. It is quite possibly the most addicting game known to man. In fact, I think I will go play that...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1118157709122727692005-06-07T10:21:00.000-05:002005-06-07T10:21:49.130-05:00The ReturnSo I haven't blogged in forever. Sue me. I suck. Blah blah blah. Looking back at my last post makes me a little sad that I never gave the blow by blow of the move in and nesting phase, but then I got over it and remembered that people probably don't care anyway. So the long and the short is, I am settled into the new place, I have swanky leather furniture, some kitchy smart knickity knack decorative items, and loving every minute of it. Well there are those minutes every morning when the alarm goes off and I remember that I am not actually independantly wealthy and must go to work to pay the bills. Which brings me to the work topic. I am still really liking my job, however, it has been SUPER busy and I've been working some long hours. Why does that actually make me feel a little cool to say? Ehh, I'm sure it will pass.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1114698517435500822005-04-28T08:51:00.000-05:002005-04-28T09:28:37.436-05:00Getting CloserIt was another night of packing. That was, of course, after we watched the <a href="http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.html" target="_blank">Lost</a> recap show (ABC's sneaky attempt to hook even more viewers before the final 4 episodes of the season). If you haven't been watching Lost then you are missing out and that's all I'm sayin! <br /><br />I successfully cleared out the miscellaneous crap out of my closet and divided it between boxes and trash bags. The night ended with me crumpled in the bottom of my empty closet. Lucky for me, Ally was there and convinced me to come out of the closet. Ha! My project for tonight is dragging all the boxes out of the side attic that I never got around to unpacking since it was kitchen stuff and figuring out how I am going to move my shoes and clothes. I will be the first one to admit that I have too many pairs of shoes. I mean, not like Ally's shoe problem, but I have a lot. Maybe I'll take this opportunity to get rid of some....nahh!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1114611616514071782005-04-27T10:03:00.000-05:002005-04-27T10:03:46.263-05:00The MoveWell this weekend is the big move. Al and I started packing boxes last night and man do I have a lot of junk. I did my best to cull it out and only take the essentials, but it was hard to leave behind some of it. We spent the weekend shopping for furniture which ended up being quite the beating. Fortunaltely for everyone involved it had a happy ending and I made a furniture purchase late Sunday night. In fact, they were closing the store when I was signing the papers and paying. Nothing like dropping serious coin on furniture to make you feel like an adult. Ally and I were discussing the fact that this is the first time I have actually paid for furniture. In my previous apartments and dormrooms the furniture was aquired by other means (hand-me-downs, parent's friend's old furniture, and even the curbside special on one occation). I actually really miss that curbside chair. I was a brown pleather recliner with black electrical tape on the seat and arms (done very nice of course). I was driving through my old neighborhood back when I lived in Houston and saw it sitting out on the curb for the trash pick up. I pulled up, popped the hatch and tossed it in the back of the old Explorer. The hilarous part was when I got home with it and lifted it over my head to put it in the garage like 4 dollars in change rained down on me. A bonus on a truly spectacular home furnishing find. It graced the living room of my first <span style="font-size:78%;">tiny</span> apartment and was always covered with a blanket when I had people over (he didn't like to talk about his scars in front of company). <br /><br />But enough about my old furniture! I am actually pretty excited about the new stuff I bought. I got a brown (<em>real</em>)leather couch, chair and ottoman. I also purchased quite possibly the coolest piece of furniture ever made. It is a coffee table that has a lift top which lifts and swings towards the couch. HOW COOL IS THAT?! Very cool indeed! After I saw it in the showroom it was only a matter of finding a couch to match it. The only catch to the whole furniture purchase was the wait for delivery. It is coming from "<em>factory direct</em>" for a far off place and wouldn't be delivered from three weeks. DOH! So for the first couple of weeks I will be sitting on the floor watching TV in the living room. I agree with <a href="http://ramblinruth.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Alisa</a> that watching the boobtoob just isn't as much fun if you don't have some sort of sofa to drape your lifeless body across.<br /><br />I try to keep you guys posted on the latest move news. I know everyone is glued to their monitors.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1113315242009618882005-04-12T09:13:00.000-05:002005-04-12T09:25:19.233-05:00Jack Squat...that's exactly what I did when I got home yesterday. I walked in the door, sat down in my living room and played <a href="http://www.splintercell3.com/us/splintercellchaostheory/index.php" target="_blank">Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory</a> for almost 3 hours. I only paused for dinner, the telephone ringing a hundred times and of course bathroom breaks. Why did my phone ring a hundred times you ask? Let's just say that Al had some problems with her smoke alarm in her apartment and she thought I might be able to remedy the fact that she is too short to reach it over the phone. It was beeping because the backup battery was low and it was driving her bonkers. I had a good chuckle picturing her trying to stand on a chair and it being juuuuuuust out of her reach, then swinging at it with a stick like a pinata until it came crashing down. She ended up tearing the thing out of the ceiling, but she got battery out and by all things holy <strong>IT WAS SILENCED!</strong> So much for a peaceful resolution. As Al said, that's what they get when they refuse to dispatch a maintanence man out to fix it.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1113249847117827372005-04-11T15:19:00.000-05:002005-04-11T15:19:57.253-05:00Moving OnSo I put down my deposit for an apartment on Friday. I went over after work and filled out the beating of an application and then wrote them a check. I sat there for 20 minutes filling out this application only to give it to the leasing agent, Jack, and hear "Ohh, I just needed this top information here." "<em>ARGH! I thought it was a little much, but I had just convinced myself that sperm count and shoe size were important pieces of information when leasing an apartment!</em>" So that is all taken care of. My move in date is the 30th of this month, but Jack asked me to come back around the 20th and pick out my parking spot in the garage and iron out the last details before move in. The coolest thing about my new place is the location with respect to work and Ally. I am literally less than 5 minutes from work and could probably make it there faster if I hit all the lights right. It is going to be GREAT for my sanity to not have to fight horrendous traffic everyday back and forth to work. As for Al, I am just a quick run up the tollway and I'm there. It shall be the shiz!<br /><br />I'm stoked to have my own place once again. It's been waaaaaay to long! The challenge for the next couple of weeks is to find furniture to decently fill up the place. Somehow I think I will be sitting on the floor watching TV at first. I'm also almost totally convinced that I won't have local phone service. I figure with my cell phone there is not really a need. I have a good enough plan with enough minutes that I don't need to pay an additional 20+ bucks a month to have another phone I never use. Especially since I plan on getting cable broadband. If I really see a need for a home phone then I might pony up for <a href="http://www.vonage.com/" target="_blank">Vonage</a> or a similar <a href="http://searchenterprisevoice.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,290660,sid66_gci214148,00.html" target="_blank">VOIP</a> carrier. I've wanted to give it a spin for a while and this would be a good chance. <br /><br />I've also been looking into satellite options since the complex is pre-wired with dishes. I figured out for 45 bucks a month I can get all the channels I regularly watch. I'm really gungho to get <a href="http://wings.discovery.com/" target="_blank">The Military Channel</a>. A channel of nothing, but flexing the military muscle of the United States! <strong>HOW COOL IS THAT?!</strong>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1112887478859874102005-04-07T10:49:00.000-05:002005-04-07T11:06:41.590-05:00Hello AgainYou know you haven't blogged in a long time when you start to type your own blog address in the address bar and it doesn't autocomplete it for you. I am surprised blogger.com didn't axe my blog. Looking at my last post it's will be a month ago tomorrow since I've posted. I figured since my blog pal <a href="ramblinruth.blogspot.com">Alisa</a> started blogging again, I should probably get back on the horse too. Regardless of the fact I have now lost my whole blog audience.<br /><br />My first month of work was great. Actually, I started back on Feb. 28th so its more than a month now. I really like my job and the people I work with. For the most part I stay busy with work, but there is also a good balance of downtime. I think that is the main difference from my previous job. Here when I have a break and don't have any pressing work I am able to relax, BS with coworkers, and surf a bit. At my previous job, if we had downtime and gave the slightest hint that we were not busy they would start to pile on extra crap that wasn't our job and certainly not enjoyable. That kept everyone from talking to each other or socializing which, in my opinion, fostered a very hostile environment. Another huge difference is the contrast between my bosses. At my previous job my boss was a totally ass. He was the type of boss that would put his name on your work and prance around like it was his. He was the typical stuffed shirt BS artist that would tell anyone anything to make himself look better. He thought he had everyone fooled, but the more people worked with him the more they figured out that he was full of it. The client would sidestep him and call me directly for answers which irked him to no end and gave me a constant laugh. He was the perfect example of how not to be in a managerial role. At my new job I have a great boss. He is in his 30s and hasn't forgot where he came from. He's an excellent, patient mentor that goes the distance to make sure I'm comfortable in my job. We go to lunch almost everyday with a group of two other guys and we have developed a friendship in addition to our good working relationship. We have a lot of the same interests which makes for a lot of good conversation. Our skill sets seem to compliment each other and it seems we are frequently teaching each other new things about hardware, software, life, etc. He is very well read and is constantly dropping the knowledge on me from all areas of study. I don't think I could ask for a cooler boss!<br /><br />The other happenings in my life have been mostly focused around finding an apartment. Alison and I are both looking forward to me having my own place so we spent last weekend running around town looking at apartments and condos with a locator. In the past I've done all the legwork in finding my own apartments and had no problems, but I decided to branch out and give a locator a shot. She was able to narrow down the search in the particular area I was looking. The funniest thing about the whole search was the fact that the apartment I have all but decided on wasn't one she had suggested. It was actually an apartment I had seen on the internet which just happened to be right next to an apartment she took me to. I even fired up a little <a href="http://dallas.craigslist.org">craigslist.com</a> for the apartment search which is great if you are looking for no-strings-attached sex or cheap apartments in a bad part of town. Fortunately I am not interested in either at this point in my life. So I will probably end up making a decision this weekend, if not tomorrow, on a place. I will try to make a post once I make a move on something. I am hoping to be in a new place by the first part of May. We'll see how that goes.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1110308158848600422005-03-08T13:03:00.000-06:002005-03-08T13:05:17.363-06:00The Give and Take of the 8 to 5I realized this morning that I love being able to drive to and from work wearing my sunglasses. A strange observation I realize, but favorable none the less. Besides the fact that I really love my sunglasses, the real reason is the time of day I am en route, to and fro. I am really diggin the 8 to 5 gig. At my previous job (daily beating) I worked a Sunday through Thursday 6am to 2pm schedule. Although I had rationalized it at the time, in hindsight it <strong>REALLY SUCKED</strong>! The 8 to 5 has a few drawbacks, but for the most part it is definitely a welcomed change. The traffic is the biggest drawback as it is 3x worse then what I would hit going to work at 6am. But then again, <b>I'M NOT GOING TO WORK AT 6AM</b>, so always a plus. And I have actually been very surprised at the lack of traffic after work. I usually leave here somewhere between 5 and 5:30 and the traffic is actually pretty bearable. There is the occasional snarl, wreck, etc, but in most cases it continues to move. <br /><br />The other great advantage of the normal work schedule is the hour for lunch. At the previous job we had two short breaks which we were not allowed to combine for eating and whatever. Ahh the joys of having to rush to one of the many fast food joints close by and spend 3/4 of your break standing in line. Then having to scarf your food down, only to get massive indigestion and suffer with that for the rest of the day! <strong>YES, AWESOME!</strong> The first couple of days I went out for lunch I found myself rushing around. It was a very new concept for me to be able to relax and sit down to a nice meal. Alison and I went to Eatzi's last week and I caught myself checking my watch to see if I still had time to make it back. I had to delete that program and load the newest patch which allowed for the longer lunch cycles. I'm such a computer geek. Anyway, so many new things to get used to. But I am not complaining. Everyday lately is feeling like the first day of the rest of my life.<br /><br />...and that feels pretty damn good!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1110207764717844832005-03-07T09:02:00.000-06:002005-03-07T09:02:44.720-06:00The OfficeI think I've finally found the office <em>chi</em> I have been searching for. After several variations, several minutes of standing and staring, and even a dream(!) I'm pretty sure I have it laid out the way I want it. No, I'm not saying my office layout came to me in a dream or even that I believe in that chi crap, so just let it go. It was weird that I dreamed about my office though. I guess I'm still trying to get my brain around it.<br /><br />Friday I packed the old college mini-fridge sitting in my garage in the Rover and brought it to work. My boss had given it the green light since we are on the other end of the building from the breakroom, snackroom and general food keeping areas. So before I left on Friday I set it up in my office. I stocked it with Red Bull, Orange Juice, <strike>Vodka</strike>, and Arizona Green Tea. It was very nice to come in to a fully stocked fridge full of cold libations. Since I had the weekend to forget about doing it, it was almost as if someone else had done it for me. "<em>Congrats on making the big time Mike! Here are three of your favorite drinks!</em>" As far as I'm concerned, this was the finishing touch for my office. In fact, I had to move around a couple of pieces of furniture to accomodate it. Yeah, I have furniture in my office! It's crazy! I even have a door, which after they re-key it, I will be able to lock. For all of you with office envy, I feel your pain. I anguished in a cubicle for just under 3 years which was <strong>PLENTY</strong> long enough for me.<br /><br />One funny thing about my office is the temperature. I am very interested in bringing my desk thermometer up here and getting an actual reading, but it's waaaay down there. Now anyone that knows me can attest to me NEVER being cold, but this is far beyond cold. The reason for this is my location. My office is right next to the server room which, uncooled could easily get up to 95 degrees with all the computers in there. So they have an A/C unit devoted solely to it, my office and a small closet office on the other side of the server room. In the mornings when I get here and open my door I am smacked in the face with an artic blast. I am constantly surprised that icicles aren't hanging from the vent. It's so cold that my nose runs. Yeah, <strong>COLD</strong>! Luckily, I wear a long sleeve dress shirt everyday and so I'm not sitting here shivering or anything. Although, there have been mornings I have sat at my desk with my coat on for the first 15 minutes to acclimate myself. I would <strong>MUCH</strong> rather it be cold than hot. So I am definitely not complaining. The irony of it all is many moons ago my office was a storage/breakroom so hanging above my door is a sign that reads "<em>MICROWAVE IN USE</em>." There is no way I'm taking that down!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1110205698195664382005-03-07T08:54:00.000-06:002005-03-07T08:54:46.536-06:00Monday and I'm Not MourningEver since starting my new job I'm not filled with the dread of having to go to work like I was before. I'm genuinely excited to be embarking on my career in a new job. Lemme just tell you that this makes Monday mornings soooooo much easier to like your job. I'm hoping this lasts because it's really a good feeling.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1109861885199493032005-03-03T09:12:00.000-06:002005-03-03T09:16:19.956-06:00She Left On A Jet PlaneWell I am alone in the Big D for 10 days. Ally left for her Tour of Italy (the real thing, not the Olive Garden dish) yesterday. I have to admit that I already miss her. Usually she will call me while we are on the way to work in the morning and we always talk before we go to bed at night, but today makes two days of no calls. Being a creature of habit and routine, these are the things that really put the screws in you.<br /><br />So I instituted a plan of preoccupation, which took effect last night. On the way home from work I called up <a href="http://home.comcast.net/~mikeblogging/pics/kev.jpg" target="_blank">my brother</a> and cousin to invite them out for some <a href="http://www.buffalowildwings.com" target="_blank">Buffalo Wild Wings</a>. Kev and his wife agreed to come out, but the cuz was a different story. Like a poonanny he had already made plans to have dinner with his trying-to-be-ex-girlfriend and her mother. <strong>SUCKER!</strong><br /><br />Kev and I swilled massive amounts of <a href="http://www.shiner.com" target="_blank">Shiner</a> in order to put out the flames projecting from our months due to the oh-geez-these-little-wings-are-hot boneless wings. We started off with <a href="http://www.buffalowildwings.com/menu/sauces.asp" target="_blank">Caribbean Jerk</a> and then moved on the downright <a href="http://www.buffalowildwings.com/menu/sauces.asp" target="_blank">HOT</a>. We both agreed that while the Caribbean Jerk was extremely spicy, it was "<em>a different kind of hot</em>." By the time we got to the HOT our mouths were numb, our sinuses were clear, our eyes were watering, and odly enough my scalp was tingling. Keep in mind that this wasn't an experimental run. I order the same thing every time I go to BWW. I guess I enjoy the pain a bit in the process of eating really good boneless wings. As for Kev, I am not sure that he will partake of those mouth scorching sauces on his next visit.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1109788037083152702005-03-02T12:10:00.001-06:002005-03-02T12:31:56.533-06:00The StruggleSo when do you get to the point where you don't even have to acknowledge that you haven't posted in a really long time and you are a reeeeeealy bad blogger? I feel like I am reaching that point. All apologies to my loyal and becoming increasingly disloyal blog reading audience. Things have been a bit of a whirlwind for the last couple of weeks with starting a new job and leaving a crappy one behind. I can't say that I haven't had the time to blog because that would just be a lie. I just haven't felt inspired to blog anything as of late. Is that bad? I'm not sure. I've got a call into the blog helpdesk on that issue. We'll see what the professionals say.<br /><br />A lot of times I go a long time without blogging not because I don't have anything to say, but I don't feel like it will be interesting/thought provoking/compelling/sad/etc. True or not, it totally demotivates and immobilizes my blogging machine. I need to just force myself to sit down and start writing. I know SOMETHING would have to come out. Then there's the whole quantity vs. quality struggle. Whateva!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1109147435491066452005-02-23T02:30:00.000-06:002005-02-23T02:30:35.493-06:00My PGA Tour Credentials Came In The Mail TodaySo I figured it was time to swing the wrenches a bit. There is nothing more humbling than really sucking at something. Today was the day for my suck-star to shine. I dusted off the Caddyshack bag of garage sale clubs and headed for the driving range with the cuz. Let's get down to the brass tacks...my swing sucks. I liken it to the motion of an epileptic giraffe (if you can picture that). To be fair to myself I did send a couple of them whizzing in a somewhat straight-forward direction. But most of them ended up sending dirt farther than the actual ball and left my hands numb from the continual thump of hitting the ground. All in all it was a good time. I got outside on the warmest day of the season and sweated a little so I can't complain. Well, actually, I can complain a little because now my back hurts from using muscles I normally don't use while sitting in front of the TV or my computer.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1109145971484920492005-02-23T02:06:00.000-06:002005-02-23T02:06:11.486-06:00Bad BloggerI know I haven't updated in a week and for that I am sorry. I realize that I left you guys hanging on all the tests and physicals and yadda yadda I had to do for my new job. The good news is that everything came back positive...uhh...good...uhh...favorable(?). With as much bodily fluids as I gave those people they are probably well on their way to cloning a superior race of Mikes that will some day rule the world! (<em>cue the sinister music and evil laughing</em>)Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8382856.post-1108575161326515442005-02-16T11:34:00.000-06:002005-02-18T22:41:12.306-06:00The P TestWork was pretty uneventful for most of the day. I mostly sat at my desk trying to look busy and plotting the perfect time to turn in my resignation letter. I didn't really know what I was waiting for until it happened. But when it did, the window was open and I dropped the bomb on them. My boss indicated that he would need to talk to the royal "them" about approving the week of accrued vacation I planned on taking for my last week of work. As of now I haven't heard anything back on that. Grrr!<br /><br />I left working feeling aggravated and headed to the new job to drop off my paperwork and pick up the information about the drug test. When I got there I met with the President of the company who briefly interviewed me and then gave me the offer letter. Naturally I accepted and everyone was excited. They informed me that in addition to the drug test I would also need to take a physical. It would have been nice if they did it all in the same place, but the drug test and the physical were at different places. So on the way home I decided to take care of the drug test. One of the three location choices was right around the corner so I headed that way. After getting a little turned around from the crappy map I found the place. I walked up to the door and was greeted with a closed sign and a whiteboard that read, "Sorry for the inconvenience, but this location has been closed due to an unexpected FIRE." The following instructions directed me to another location across town.<br /><br />I got there with plenty of time before they closed, but the waiting room was COMPLETELY full. I asked the receptionist how long this would take and she told me the test would only take a few minutes, but the wait would be over an hour. After an hour and a half they called me in where I took the stupidest test on a computer. Why was I taking a test on a computer you ask? Yeah I dunno! I just did what they told me to do. It was an aptitude test consisting of 50 questions, which were so easy that I read them over and over again looking for a trick or something I might be missing. There were even questions about the correct spelling of days of the week and months of the year. I was cracking up! After I finished the test they ushered me into a closet size bathroom where I had to fill a cup up to a line the guy drew on the container. Since I’d been holding it I had plenty to fill this cup. But the conflict was this…do I go straight off into the cup which presents the tough maneuver which involves stopping, pinching, setting down a cup of liquid that you don’t want on you, aiming and finishing? OR do I try to stop at an estimated halfway point, catch and gamble that I have enough to fill it to the line. I know you are thinking this is waaaay to much information and I’m making this waaaay to complicated, but these are tough decisions standing in a dimly lit, closet bathroom with a guy waiting right outside the door. I chose the first option and carefully filled it to the line. When I had finished I opened the door and handed my “sample” to the guy waiting. I was extremely careful not to slosh the contents on any of the involved parties. Before handing it over, I did make it a point to hold it up as if to toast my new job and winked at the receptionist standing in the hall. She laughed, but the sample-taker guy didn’t think it was funny. The cups actually have a thermometer on the side of them to measure the warmth of the dispensed “sample.” He then caps the sample and holds it up to eye level to check the temperate. At that very moment I felt strangely connected to this person. After all, he was gazing into my URINE like it was a ’63 Chardonnay. I could have sworn he was about to take a sip of it. Good thing the cap was already on it. I am not quite sure what I would do if a stranger took a swig of my urine. The whole process is <strong>JUST. NOT. NATURAL.</strong> After sealing, signing and authenticating my identity I was outta there….<strong>IN JUST UNDER TWO HOURS</strong>!<br /><br />1 down, 1 to go.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09785105903521094987noreply@blogger.com2