I just finished up yet another MP3 CD and that put me over the 26000 mark.
To date, I have listened to 26093 songs for 1643 hours, 32 minutes and 5 seconds.
Dang.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In other news, I got to go through all the parts for the swing set and it all appears to be in order.
I also want to say that weather.com, Jym and all the other meteorologists are snake oil salesmen. ALL WEEK LONG Saturday was supposed to be raining and T-storms with a 70% chance of precipitation. Do you know what we got on Saturday? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I could have put the swingset together and it would have been peachy.
However, I'm glad that the forecast was as it was because this gave me time to ready the instructions carefully on the playset as well as take inventory. Everything is in good order, so hopefully next weekend will be sunny (or at least not rainy) and Tom and I can get that sucker together.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
early
I wish my children would stop getting up so early. Lil N got up at 5:15am this morning. The wife has had it bad for the past month, so I got up. No getting that kid back to bed, so we turned on the TV and watched some Jack's Big Music Show. But of course, once that was over she started calling for mommy 'cause I guess I'm chopped liver. After 15 minutes of whining, the wife caved and had to come out to keep the peace. *sigh*
=-=-=-=-=-
In other news, the swingset is on it's way. Walmart gave me a tracking number, but I was having trouble using it to find out where my shipment was. But I found ANOTHER website owned by the parent company, so now I know that it's sitting in Fairfield, OH. I bet it will be here by Wednesday. I actually hope so. That would mean that I could put it together on Saturday as long as it is nice out.
=-=-=-=-=-
When the last wind storm hit about a month ago, it flipped over my grill and busted up the plastic table that I've had since I moved into the house 9 years ago. So, the other day we went out and bought a table and chairs from Old Time Pottery. While it was made in China, I was actually quite impressed with the quality of the paint job on it. I'll have to post some pics of it soon.
=-=-=-=-=-
On Sunday, I finally got outside to rake the rest of the leaves that had been sitting out there since last fall. It took a while, but now it's done. Thank goodness. It's been driving me nuts all winter.
=-=-=-=-=-
In other news, the swingset is on it's way. Walmart gave me a tracking number, but I was having trouble using it to find out where my shipment was. But I found ANOTHER website owned by the parent company, so now I know that it's sitting in Fairfield, OH. I bet it will be here by Wednesday. I actually hope so. That would mean that I could put it together on Saturday as long as it is nice out.
=-=-=-=-=-
When the last wind storm hit about a month ago, it flipped over my grill and busted up the plastic table that I've had since I moved into the house 9 years ago. So, the other day we went out and bought a table and chairs from Old Time Pottery. While it was made in China, I was actually quite impressed with the quality of the paint job on it. I'll have to post some pics of it soon.
=-=-=-=-=-
On Sunday, I finally got outside to rake the rest of the leaves that had been sitting out there since last fall. It took a while, but now it's done. Thank goodness. It's been driving me nuts all winter.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Just A Gigolo... not really
Okay, I must be an idiot because I had no idea that the David Lee Roth song "Just a Gigolo" was a cover. I'm listening to a recording of 'Just a Gigolo' by Ben Bernie and His Orchestra from
1931!!!
How did I not know this. I'm usually pretty good about putting someone in their place when they say 'Song X by Artist Y is awesome. How do they write such a good song?' to which I would usually inform them that they are an imbecile and that it was originally done by so-and-so.
Man, I knew that DLR didn't WRITE this one... but I didn't know it was a song from the 1930s. This throws me for a serious loop at the moment.
1931!!!
How did I not know this. I'm usually pretty good about putting someone in their place when they say 'Song X by Artist Y is awesome. How do they write such a good song?' to which I would usually inform them that they are an imbecile and that it was originally done by so-and-so.
Man, I knew that DLR didn't WRITE this one... but I didn't know it was a song from the 1930s. This throws me for a serious loop at the moment.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Early March update
Well, things are starting to feel better after surgery. Some of my stitches came out a little bit early, so that's the most annoying thing at the moment.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I signed up for a couple of the digital to analog TV converter box coupons from the government. I got them a while back and went to WalMart and picked one up. I finally had a chance the other day to hook that sucker up. It was pretty cool, especially the part where you get channel and show info. The odd side is that with my current cable setup, I only get 2 PBS channels. When I was trying out the converter box, I found out that there are 3 PBS channels current. WTF Time Warner? Toggling the close captions on this converter box is a pain in the arse. There are like 7 channels that CC can be on. The other dorky thing about my magnavox convert box is that there are NO controls on the box itself. Hope I never lose the remote.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I got my taxes done the other day. I'm getting much more back than I thought, so that's good. We should be able to put away a good hunk of it and still get a few things done like...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Getting a swingset for the lil' one. Seems that Walmart has this cheap, yet cool swingset for $300.
check it out here
$300 is awesome. I was gong to build one myself originally. After I found this one, I looked up the prices on the various braces and swings and whatnot. The braces alone (that would be like 6 pieces of metal) could have cost me nearly $75 alone. Geeez. And the slides cost anywhere between $89 and $150. Ooof.
Most of the reviews are the playset are very positive. Some people claim that the wood is a bit soft and that sometimes the boards split and complained that they had to drill out some of the holes. I'm thinking the splitting is going to happen no matter what kinda wood you use. I really wanted to get a wooden swingset so I could add on in the future if I felt like it. Also... if something breaks on a wood swingset you can fix it. I'm actually getting kind of excited about putting it together.... well, except for the 8 to 10 hours that most people say it takes to put it together with two people.
Tom??? Where are you Tom????? ;-)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I signed up for a couple of the digital to analog TV converter box coupons from the government. I got them a while back and went to WalMart and picked one up. I finally had a chance the other day to hook that sucker up. It was pretty cool, especially the part where you get channel and show info. The odd side is that with my current cable setup, I only get 2 PBS channels. When I was trying out the converter box, I found out that there are 3 PBS channels current. WTF Time Warner? Toggling the close captions on this converter box is a pain in the arse. There are like 7 channels that CC can be on. The other dorky thing about my magnavox convert box is that there are NO controls on the box itself. Hope I never lose the remote.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I got my taxes done the other day. I'm getting much more back than I thought, so that's good. We should be able to put away a good hunk of it and still get a few things done like...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Getting a swingset for the lil' one. Seems that Walmart has this cheap, yet cool swingset for $300.
check it out here
$300 is awesome. I was gong to build one myself originally. After I found this one, I looked up the prices on the various braces and swings and whatnot. The braces alone (that would be like 6 pieces of metal) could have cost me nearly $75 alone. Geeez. And the slides cost anywhere between $89 and $150. Ooof.
Most of the reviews are the playset are very positive. Some people claim that the wood is a bit soft and that sometimes the boards split and complained that they had to drill out some of the holes. I'm thinking the splitting is going to happen no matter what kinda wood you use. I really wanted to get a wooden swingset so I could add on in the future if I felt like it. Also... if something breaks on a wood swingset you can fix it. I'm actually getting kind of excited about putting it together.... well, except for the 8 to 10 hours that most people say it takes to put it together with two people.
Tom??? Where are you Tom????? ;-)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
late Feb update
Just a few notes...
I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow's surgery. I'm not ure why. I know what all is entailed. I'm sure I'll be fine. If I'm not, I'll be callin' up my peeps for moral support or whatever.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Kroger Marketplace near me had the Coby 1GB Clip player for 4.99 again, so I picked one up for the wifey. She loves it! Now, here's the kicker... I went the following week... and in the same freakin' bin... they upped the price back up to 14.99. Kroger's is so stupid. Actually, more stupid is something else. Right across from the in-store jewelry store, is this little 'island' that houses the 'expensive' perfume. In this cabinet, they have these 512 _MB_ Coby players for... $39.99. It's been that price for so long that the price tag is faded to nearly nothing. They always have fairly nice stuff over in their reduced bin. They should put these (and half of the other 'electronic gadgets' that they have in this display in there.
BTW, I'm digging my Coby. I don't get to use it much, but when I have, it's been cool. Though, I did find out that the coby does not like folders. WTF is up with that? *shrug* Oh well, the main reason I got something like that it because I usually like to shuffle anyways. So cram all those files in there and away we go!!!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I'm hoping a get a nice tax return, esp with having a new kiddo. The savings account could use some padding. At the moment, the 'experts' are saying one should have 8 months worth of salary available. It used to be 6 months. I know how much I make and that is not a small amount of scratch. If I could get 2 months worth in there, that would make me feel at least a little bit better.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Work has been nutty as always. We had that layoff a month ago which halved my department, which also halved my team. So, we've been working on the current build of the product for the past TWO MONTHS. I'm getting a bit burnt out on it. At least the end is nearing, I can see the light... in June. :(
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I had some other witty comments, but I for the life of me can't remember what they are. Feel free to comment on... anything.
I'm a bit nervous about tomorrow's surgery. I'm not ure why. I know what all is entailed. I'm sure I'll be fine. If I'm not, I'll be callin' up my peeps for moral support or whatever.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Kroger Marketplace near me had the Coby 1GB Clip player for 4.99 again, so I picked one up for the wifey. She loves it! Now, here's the kicker... I went the following week... and in the same freakin' bin... they upped the price back up to 14.99. Kroger's is so stupid. Actually, more stupid is something else. Right across from the in-store jewelry store, is this little 'island' that houses the 'expensive' perfume. In this cabinet, they have these 512 _MB_ Coby players for... $39.99. It's been that price for so long that the price tag is faded to nearly nothing. They always have fairly nice stuff over in their reduced bin. They should put these (and half of the other 'electronic gadgets' that they have in this display in there.
BTW, I'm digging my Coby. I don't get to use it much, but when I have, it's been cool. Though, I did find out that the coby does not like folders. WTF is up with that? *shrug* Oh well, the main reason I got something like that it because I usually like to shuffle anyways. So cram all those files in there and away we go!!!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I'm hoping a get a nice tax return, esp with having a new kiddo. The savings account could use some padding. At the moment, the 'experts' are saying one should have 8 months worth of salary available. It used to be 6 months. I know how much I make and that is not a small amount of scratch. If I could get 2 months worth in there, that would make me feel at least a little bit better.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Work has been nutty as always. We had that layoff a month ago which halved my department, which also halved my team. So, we've been working on the current build of the product for the past TWO MONTHS. I'm getting a bit burnt out on it. At least the end is nearing, I can see the light... in June. :(
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I had some other witty comments, but I for the life of me can't remember what they are. Feel free to comment on... anything.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Early Feb updates
Just some random notes and thoughts
=-=-=-=-=-
Finally finished up the second DVD of Prog Rock MP3s. Luckily, the best was the last of that I had to listen to. Symphony X. I dig 'em. Nice orchestral / shredding prog metal. Michael Romeo is awesome. I've update the Music Counter. With the last DVD of MP3s I surpassed the 25,000 song barrier. I'm just shy of the 1600 hr mark as well.
=-=-=-=-=-
The wife and I (and the kids) went to church last Sunday. It was nice. We'll likely go again. We've been (sort of) looking for a church nearby that we could go to and feel comfortable. We tried the Westerville United Methodist but parking there was attrocious and we just never felt comfortable there. The Indian Run Methodist Church in Dublin is very nice. The traditional service (which I prefer) is pretty much like what I grew up with. I was concerned with feeling confortable there since, well... c'mon... it's Dublin. I was concerned about it being all hoity-toity and people overly dressed up to show off their latest duds (I've been to churches that were that way), but to my delight people dressed... normal. Some in suits and ties, but also a fair amount of people in just normal clothes, which I think is good.
=-=-=-=-
We had Sloppy Joes last night for the first time in several years. It was TAAASSSTTYY! Me loves me some Sloppy Joes. Easy to make and oohhhhhh so good.
=-=-=-=-
Lil N is talking alot more these days. She's so darn cute especially when she'll just walk up to me and say "Daddy, what doing?" Hee hee hee. Too damn cute.
=-=-=-=-
Our street is a giant sheet of ice. There was so much snow on the street that when it got all warm and SHOULD have melted it all, it instead got all mushy and then turned into what is now a shiny sheet of ice. It sucks. I look forward to the warmer weather next week. (It is next week, right?)
=-=-=-=-
I'm on Facebook. It's so weird. It confuses me 85% of the time. ... And that's all I have to say about that.
=-=-=-=-=-
Finally finished up the second DVD of Prog Rock MP3s. Luckily, the best was the last of that I had to listen to. Symphony X. I dig 'em. Nice orchestral / shredding prog metal. Michael Romeo is awesome. I've update the Music Counter. With the last DVD of MP3s I surpassed the 25,000 song barrier. I'm just shy of the 1600 hr mark as well.
=-=-=-=-=-
The wife and I (and the kids) went to church last Sunday. It was nice. We'll likely go again. We've been (sort of) looking for a church nearby that we could go to and feel comfortable. We tried the Westerville United Methodist but parking there was attrocious and we just never felt comfortable there. The Indian Run Methodist Church in Dublin is very nice. The traditional service (which I prefer) is pretty much like what I grew up with. I was concerned with feeling confortable there since, well... c'mon... it's Dublin. I was concerned about it being all hoity-toity and people overly dressed up to show off their latest duds (I've been to churches that were that way), but to my delight people dressed... normal. Some in suits and ties, but also a fair amount of people in just normal clothes, which I think is good.
=-=-=-=-
We had Sloppy Joes last night for the first time in several years. It was TAAASSSTTYY! Me loves me some Sloppy Joes. Easy to make and oohhhhhh so good.
=-=-=-=-
Lil N is talking alot more these days. She's so darn cute especially when she'll just walk up to me and say "Daddy, what doing?" Hee hee hee. Too damn cute.
=-=-=-=-
Our street is a giant sheet of ice. There was so much snow on the street that when it got all warm and SHOULD have melted it all, it instead got all mushy and then turned into what is now a shiny sheet of ice. It sucks. I look forward to the warmer weather next week. (It is next week, right?)
=-=-=-=-
I'm on Facebook. It's so weird. It confuses me 85% of the time. ... And that's all I have to say about that.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
what's new... january 2009 edition
Hmm... what's new.
I got the Juliana Hatfield memoir "When I Grow Up" for Christmas. I read it. It was cool. Basically it was part of a diary about her last tour and part history and recollections. So ther would be one chapter talking about a specific day on the tour. And the next would be about something in the past or her general view on something. Then lather, rinse, repeat. I feel bad for her. She has basically for the longest time not been able to enjoy herself, or her musical abilities, or anything else for that matter with out being depressed or self-conscious to a debilitating level. The end of the book is nice enough. Hopefully she can find some clarity and will continue to be at least a little bit happier.
Work has been crazy beyond words. Some long hours. Been having pains in my right shoulder. I'm sure it's just stress. The wife said if I keel over that she's brining me back to life, then killing me, then bringing me back to life, then killing me. Times that by like 5 and you can imagine how the actual conversation went. I have no want to die either, so um... yeah. Work might be nutty, but I still wanna see the kids grow up for crying out loud.
I'm on Facebook now for no apparent reason. I friended Todd and my wife and that was it. There are like 3 people from my HS who are on there but I didn't befriend any of them. Oddly, there were like 4 or 5 others under my HS who I had no idea who they were, pictures or not. I don't even think they went to my HS in general. I pretty much knew everyone 4 years ahead and 4 years behind and I did not know these people. And trying to find classmates when you went to THE Ohio State University for a specific year is a joke. I graduated in the summer and had something like 4500 people in my graduating class. That doesn't even count for the other 3 quarters where people can graduate, though the size of those classes is usually much smaller.
The wife and I put together a 'to do' list last weekend. There are still alot of things I need to do. One thing is to get organized to sell all sorts of crap on ebay. Daddy wants a new faucet for the kitchen so I better get on it. My one Glenn Miller boxset could go for some crazy number based on the price people are asking on Amazon for their and for one completed auction on ebay that I saw a while back. It'd be nice to have a nice hunk of change on just one sale. (heh ... I just found out that amazon now has the boxset for digital download for like 40 bucks. Oh well, sometime people still want the physical cds even though it can be much more expensive.)
Um... I miss y'all out there in internet land. I haven't forgotten ya. Sometimes, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day or days in the week (or month).
later!
I got the Juliana Hatfield memoir "When I Grow Up" for Christmas. I read it. It was cool. Basically it was part of a diary about her last tour and part history and recollections. So ther would be one chapter talking about a specific day on the tour. And the next would be about something in the past or her general view on something. Then lather, rinse, repeat. I feel bad for her. She has basically for the longest time not been able to enjoy herself, or her musical abilities, or anything else for that matter with out being depressed or self-conscious to a debilitating level. The end of the book is nice enough. Hopefully she can find some clarity and will continue to be at least a little bit happier.
Work has been crazy beyond words. Some long hours. Been having pains in my right shoulder. I'm sure it's just stress. The wife said if I keel over that she's brining me back to life, then killing me, then bringing me back to life, then killing me. Times that by like 5 and you can imagine how the actual conversation went. I have no want to die either, so um... yeah. Work might be nutty, but I still wanna see the kids grow up for crying out loud.
I'm on Facebook now for no apparent reason. I friended Todd and my wife and that was it. There are like 3 people from my HS who are on there but I didn't befriend any of them. Oddly, there were like 4 or 5 others under my HS who I had no idea who they were, pictures or not. I don't even think they went to my HS in general. I pretty much knew everyone 4 years ahead and 4 years behind and I did not know these people. And trying to find classmates when you went to THE Ohio State University for a specific year is a joke. I graduated in the summer and had something like 4500 people in my graduating class. That doesn't even count for the other 3 quarters where people can graduate, though the size of those classes is usually much smaller.
The wife and I put together a 'to do' list last weekend. There are still alot of things I need to do. One thing is to get organized to sell all sorts of crap on ebay. Daddy wants a new faucet for the kitchen so I better get on it. My one Glenn Miller boxset could go for some crazy number based on the price people are asking on Amazon for their and for one completed auction on ebay that I saw a while back. It'd be nice to have a nice hunk of change on just one sale. (heh ... I just found out that amazon now has the boxset for digital download for like 40 bucks. Oh well, sometime people still want the physical cds even though it can be much more expensive.)
Um... I miss y'all out there in internet land. I haven't forgotten ya. Sometimes, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day or days in the week (or month).
later!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
BCGC = OK
Well, I did partake of a Bacon Cheddar Gordita Crunch. It was OK. It would have been better had I eaten it the second I pulled away from the drive thru. However, there was a 10 minute gap in there... and by that time the cheese sauce on the outside soaked into the crunchy taco shell... so it wasn't very crunchy. The bacon was smoky.
I think that the Bacon Cheeseburger Burrito was much better.
=-=-=-=
Amazingly enough this Christmas I did NOT get a Dilbert calendar. So I went to the mall at lunch. I never did find the usual calendar shop that sits in the middle of the mall walkway. I went to Waldenbooks, but they didn't have Dilbert. I covered the entire bottom of the mall and then moved upstairs. I was pretty much to the end of the mall and was thinking 'awww man... no Dilbert.' But then there was a Carlton Cards store and I decided to go in on a guess. I got lucky and Carlton Cards had the Dilbert page-a-day calendars, so I picked one up for 50% off. It's even in color this year, which is awesome! Historically they have always been black and white.
I also got some kick ass Christmas cards for 90% off. So I picked 20 nice foil ones for 2 bucks and 28 nice glittery ones for a buck sixty. That was awesome. If the wrapping paper was 90%, I would have got some of that as well... but it was only 75% off and we still have oodles of wrapping paper that we picked out last year.
=-=-=-=-=-=
Oh... speaking of wrapping paper, we finally ran out of the Batman Begins wrapping paper that picked up a few years back. I usually pick up one roll of just the most gawd awful wrapping paper and then use that to wrap Maryann's gifts cause, well, I find it to be funny. :) Last year I picked up a ginormous roll of Transformers Optimus Prime wrapping paper... so I started using that this year. It looks like this:
If the Mrs and I get out for the post-xmas sales this year, I'll have to check out the ugly paper again.
And very quickly, the whole ugly paper thank started probably the year I met M. I went to Target after the holidays and they had wrapping paper like 75 ot 90 percent off. There was this one roll of like 250 ft or something insane like that which had a partridge in a pear tree. It was horrible looking... and I love it. A big honkin bird sitting on a twig. It was great. It took forever to use it up. Then we went to Garden Ridge the following year and we decided to always pick up one roll of ugly paper. You know, the one with demented blury santa that is printed on really daark blue paper. :-P It's been tradition ever since. :) I guess technically we get two rolls of ugly paper. One which is traditional and ugly and then another which is capitalistic advertising ugly.
=-=-=-=
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! May 2009 be a little less stressful and bring you loads of happiness. :)
I think that the Bacon Cheeseburger Burrito was much better.
=-=-=-=
Amazingly enough this Christmas I did NOT get a Dilbert calendar. So I went to the mall at lunch. I never did find the usual calendar shop that sits in the middle of the mall walkway. I went to Waldenbooks, but they didn't have Dilbert. I covered the entire bottom of the mall and then moved upstairs. I was pretty much to the end of the mall and was thinking 'awww man... no Dilbert.' But then there was a Carlton Cards store and I decided to go in on a guess. I got lucky and Carlton Cards had the Dilbert page-a-day calendars, so I picked one up for 50% off. It's even in color this year, which is awesome! Historically they have always been black and white.
I also got some kick ass Christmas cards for 90% off. So I picked 20 nice foil ones for 2 bucks and 28 nice glittery ones for a buck sixty. That was awesome. If the wrapping paper was 90%, I would have got some of that as well... but it was only 75% off and we still have oodles of wrapping paper that we picked out last year.
=-=-=-=-=-=
Oh... speaking of wrapping paper, we finally ran out of the Batman Begins wrapping paper that picked up a few years back. I usually pick up one roll of just the most gawd awful wrapping paper and then use that to wrap Maryann's gifts cause, well, I find it to be funny. :) Last year I picked up a ginormous roll of Transformers Optimus Prime wrapping paper... so I started using that this year. It looks like this:
If the Mrs and I get out for the post-xmas sales this year, I'll have to check out the ugly paper again.
And very quickly, the whole ugly paper thank started probably the year I met M. I went to Target after the holidays and they had wrapping paper like 75 ot 90 percent off. There was this one roll of like 250 ft or something insane like that which had a partridge in a pear tree. It was horrible looking... and I love it. A big honkin bird sitting on a twig. It was great. It took forever to use it up. Then we went to Garden Ridge the following year and we decided to always pick up one roll of ugly paper. You know, the one with demented blury santa that is printed on really daark blue paper. :-P It's been tradition ever since. :) I guess technically we get two rolls of ugly paper. One which is traditional and ugly and then another which is capitalistic advertising ugly.
=-=-=-=
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! May 2009 be a little less stressful and bring you loads of happiness. :)
BCGC
Man... that new Bacon Cheddar Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell looks TAAAASTY!!!
I think I'll get one for lunch today.
I think I'll get one for lunch today.
Monday, December 22, 2008
heh ... martians
I found the MST3K version of one of the best Christmas movies ever!
I give you... the full episode of 'Santa Claus Conquers The Martians' from MST3K. Enjoy!
I give you... the full episode of 'Santa Claus Conquers The Martians' from MST3K. Enjoy!
better
Well, everyone in the house is... for the most part... better now. Thank goodness. No one wants to go into the holidays sick.
Not much else going on. We got a new stereo for the living room. My parents gave me some money on my birthday to buy a new stereo. The old one was starting to become more and more tempermental. Most CD-Rs wouldn't play. In fact most regular Cds wouldn't play. It would just kinda skip over them as if there wasn't a disc in there one day and then the next it would work. It was a big pain in the butt. So, I got a new one from Wal-Mart. It's a Sony. And it doesn't have a cassette player. I think this is the first stereo I've bought that doesn't have a cassette. I don't use it that often, I know. But, since my car doesn't have a CD player, I actually used the old stereo the other day to dub off an album or two to cassette. No loss though, I have 2 boom boxes downstairs that I think can perform that function as well. I haven't tried yet, but I'm guessing that they should be able to do that.
Other than that, nothing else is new.
I wish everyone out there safe travels and a happy holiday!
Not much else going on. We got a new stereo for the living room. My parents gave me some money on my birthday to buy a new stereo. The old one was starting to become more and more tempermental. Most CD-Rs wouldn't play. In fact most regular Cds wouldn't play. It would just kinda skip over them as if there wasn't a disc in there one day and then the next it would work. It was a big pain in the butt. So, I got a new one from Wal-Mart. It's a Sony. And it doesn't have a cassette player. I think this is the first stereo I've bought that doesn't have a cassette. I don't use it that often, I know. But, since my car doesn't have a CD player, I actually used the old stereo the other day to dub off an album or two to cassette. No loss though, I have 2 boom boxes downstairs that I think can perform that function as well. I haven't tried yet, but I'm guessing that they should be able to do that.
Other than that, nothing else is new.
I wish everyone out there safe travels and a happy holiday!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
barf
That's what I was doing yesterday. The whole family has been sick a week. And it sucks. Luckily, for at least me and the Mrs it was a 24 hour bug. She was sick on Sunday, so I was going to take a 1/2 day to help out.... however then I woke up on Monday and hurled. That sucked. And by that time she felt better, so I guess that part didn't suck.
So, we're all slowly getting back to health. Just thought you might like to know.
So, we're all slowly getting back to health. Just thought you might like to know.
Friday, December 05, 2008
I laughed.
I laughed when I looked at the latest Billboard Top 200 results for this week.
In case you were living under a rock, Guns R Roses finally released the long awaited (by some) Chinese Democracy album.
And the results are in:
#1 this week: Kanye West's new album '808s and Heartbreak'. Wait... what? That can't be right. Axl Rose spent some 15 years and 13 million (or more) on the masterpiece called Chinese Democracy. Oh well, I'm sure it came in second...
#2 this week: Taylor Swift - Fearless. What? This album has been on the charts for 3 weeks now. Something must be amiss here. There's no way that a few thousand country fans can out buy all the metalheads and hard rock boyz in the world.
#3 this week: Guns n Roses - Chinese Democracy. Ha!
So... yeah... I find it to be funny. All this hype and pfffffffffft it lets out a puff of stanky air. Granted, #3 isn't that bad. I'm sure I would have loved it if Devilcake's 'I Can't Believe It's Not Satan' album debuted at #3. Or in the course of 5 years sold as many albums as the new GnR sold in its first week, hell, even in its first day. Or if the album even showed up in the Billboard at all. :P
So, good for you Axl for finally getting out this long awaited (by some) album. Maybe next week will prove to be better and you'll outsell a loud-mouthed auto-tuned hip hop singer and an 18 year old hotttttttie country singer and everyone else who plans on putting out a new album next week. Maybe next week you will be number one. For the sake of your record label who is probably seething at the measly 260k albums that were sold, I hope you do better. But you can count on one fewer this week and probably for the rest of your life because I have no intention of buying this album. And I know you don't care, so you don't have to let me know that. Though, if you want to go on a tear of song writing like you did for Use Your Illusion I & II and create a triple album called 'Darrin Can Bite Me - Vols. 1, 2 and 3', then be my guest. I quite enjoyed the Use Your Illusion albums. Of course, if you take another 15 years to put it out, I and everyone else will probably lose interest.
So, sorry about your luck Axl on not getting the number 1 spot on Billboard. I myself was quite surprised. I'm hoping that your tour goes much better. Maybe a good 3 year long tour will do you some good. Just make sure that you show up for at least 98% of them and of those 98% make sure at least 95% of you play the entire concert and not walk off the stage 4 songs in because the sound is bad or it's too hot in the venue or your pinky finger on your left hand hurts. Do that, and you should see a pile of cash. Of course, the record label's going to want to recoup the 13 million they invested in Chinese Democracy, so don't plan on seeing a cent for at least the first year. Though, you might be been shrewd enough to fix your contract so that they can't touch your tour profits. If you were that smart, then kudos to you Axl. No, seriously, if you were that smart, good for you... because while I might think your a bit on the nutty side, I also know that over the past 80 years that record labels have been hosing artists by fronting them money, then charging them for studio time and god knows what else, then charging 15 bucks for an album that costs 5 cents to make... maybe a dollar per if you take into consideration advertising ... anyways... they walk away with liek 10 bucks per album and give artists something like 10 cents or something stupid like that.
Ok, I'm going off on a tangent here. Badly even since i have no fact to back up any of that shit above. Let's get back on track here.
At least, in the end of this whole Chinese Democracy hype, I'll get a free Dr. Pepper. It will be tasty.
The end.
In case you were living under a rock, Guns R Roses finally released the long awaited (by some) Chinese Democracy album.
And the results are in:
#1 this week: Kanye West's new album '808s and Heartbreak'. Wait... what? That can't be right. Axl Rose spent some 15 years and 13 million (or more) on the masterpiece called Chinese Democracy. Oh well, I'm sure it came in second...
#2 this week: Taylor Swift - Fearless. What? This album has been on the charts for 3 weeks now. Something must be amiss here. There's no way that a few thousand country fans can out buy all the metalheads and hard rock boyz in the world.
#3 this week: Guns n Roses - Chinese Democracy. Ha!
So... yeah... I find it to be funny. All this hype and pfffffffffft it lets out a puff of stanky air. Granted, #3 isn't that bad. I'm sure I would have loved it if Devilcake's 'I Can't Believe It's Not Satan' album debuted at #3. Or in the course of 5 years sold as many albums as the new GnR sold in its first week, hell, even in its first day. Or if the album even showed up in the Billboard at all. :P
So, good for you Axl for finally getting out this long awaited (by some) album. Maybe next week will prove to be better and you'll outsell a loud-mouthed auto-tuned hip hop singer and an 18 year old hotttttttie country singer and everyone else who plans on putting out a new album next week. Maybe next week you will be number one. For the sake of your record label who is probably seething at the measly 260k albums that were sold, I hope you do better. But you can count on one fewer this week and probably for the rest of your life because I have no intention of buying this album. And I know you don't care, so you don't have to let me know that. Though, if you want to go on a tear of song writing like you did for Use Your Illusion I & II and create a triple album called 'Darrin Can Bite Me - Vols. 1, 2 and 3', then be my guest. I quite enjoyed the Use Your Illusion albums. Of course, if you take another 15 years to put it out, I and everyone else will probably lose interest.
So, sorry about your luck Axl on not getting the number 1 spot on Billboard. I myself was quite surprised. I'm hoping that your tour goes much better. Maybe a good 3 year long tour will do you some good. Just make sure that you show up for at least 98% of them and of those 98% make sure at least 95% of you play the entire concert and not walk off the stage 4 songs in because the sound is bad or it's too hot in the venue or your pinky finger on your left hand hurts. Do that, and you should see a pile of cash. Of course, the record label's going to want to recoup the 13 million they invested in Chinese Democracy, so don't plan on seeing a cent for at least the first year. Though, you might be been shrewd enough to fix your contract so that they can't touch your tour profits. If you were that smart, then kudos to you Axl. No, seriously, if you were that smart, good for you... because while I might think your a bit on the nutty side, I also know that over the past 80 years that record labels have been hosing artists by fronting them money, then charging them for studio time and god knows what else, then charging 15 bucks for an album that costs 5 cents to make... maybe a dollar per if you take into consideration advertising ... anyways... they walk away with liek 10 bucks per album and give artists something like 10 cents or something stupid like that.
Ok, I'm going off on a tangent here. Badly even since i have no fact to back up any of that shit above. Let's get back on track here.
At least, in the end of this whole Chinese Democracy hype, I'll get a free Dr. Pepper. It will be tasty.
The end.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Mystery Flavor
I just had a 'Mystery Flavor' Dum Dum lollipop which was a combination of Bubble Gum and Butterscotch. Most time you get combinations that are fairly similar (like grape and cherry, or watermelon and strawberry) but I knew this one was special because it was pink on top and kinda tan-ish on the bottom. Overall, it didn't taste that bad, really.
In case you were wondering, here's information on the wonderment of the Mystery Flavor
In case you were wondering, here's information on the wonderment of the Mystery Flavor
Thursday, November 13, 2008
howdy
Well, the new kiddo is around a week old now. Wish everyone would get on the same schedule though. Oooof. I think my wife got like 2 hours of sleep yesterday. I got about 5... which normally would be fine... if it were 5 continuous hours. But I wouldn't trade all of this tiredness for anything in the world since da baby boy is so cute.
I think 'm heading to the record show this weekend for giggles. I haven't been to one since 2006. I took Maryann with me, however she was pregnant with lil N and, well, the smell of the old musty records (and a few of the record collectors as well) got to her, so she ended up waiting for me in the car. It was a bit crowded since they weren't in the Vet Memorial and instead in some shrine rec area or something like that. I remember almost buying a DVD of a bunch of garage band / psychedelic videos. There was also some TV series that I half contemplated buying as well. It was some TV show that doesn't have a formal release and I'm not even sure it was a series I had ever watched. I guess I liked the way the case art was done or something. 'Medical Center - The full series'? Sure! Why not! The pictures look good.
Speaking of Medical Center, I was dorking around on a few of the ol' LP blogs last night and ran into into a rip of a record by Chad Everett called 'Chad'.
Why is this important? Well, a long long time ago, at the local homecoming fair there were games and rides and whatnot. One of the games was the cork gun game where you have to knock over targets. I remember playing this game and actually knocked over enough to get a prize. And my prize was ... this record. I had no idea what it was at the time. If I remember correctly, he guy running the stand had all sorts of 'cool' records on display and this what that I got. It was probably around... oh... 1980 something when I won this record which was recorded in 1976. I remember being really ticked off because this was NOT a cool record in my opinion. So, I guess now I'll finally get to listen to this piece of work and judge for myself with a more 'seasoned' ear and see how good it is.
I think 'm heading to the record show this weekend for giggles. I haven't been to one since 2006. I took Maryann with me, however she was pregnant with lil N and, well, the smell of the old musty records (and a few of the record collectors as well) got to her, so she ended up waiting for me in the car. It was a bit crowded since they weren't in the Vet Memorial and instead in some shrine rec area or something like that. I remember almost buying a DVD of a bunch of garage band / psychedelic videos. There was also some TV series that I half contemplated buying as well. It was some TV show that doesn't have a formal release and I'm not even sure it was a series I had ever watched. I guess I liked the way the case art was done or something. 'Medical Center - The full series'? Sure! Why not! The pictures look good.
Speaking of Medical Center, I was dorking around on a few of the ol' LP blogs last night and ran into into a rip of a record by Chad Everett called 'Chad'.
Why is this important? Well, a long long time ago, at the local homecoming fair there were games and rides and whatnot. One of the games was the cork gun game where you have to knock over targets. I remember playing this game and actually knocked over enough to get a prize. And my prize was ... this record. I had no idea what it was at the time. If I remember correctly, he guy running the stand had all sorts of 'cool' records on display and this what that I got. It was probably around... oh... 1980 something when I won this record which was recorded in 1976. I remember being really ticked off because this was NOT a cool record in my opinion. So, I guess now I'll finally get to listen to this piece of work and judge for myself with a more 'seasoned' ear and see how good it is.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Meme off
I don't know how to pronounce 'meme'. I just say mee mee. I don't know why or if this is even correct. Toddeus filled this one out and it was bizarre enough after the first 5 questions that I figured I'd have a go at this one.
1. Do you like blue cheese?
You know it. But sometimes I prefer bleu cheese. Of note, if you are eating semi-edible hamburgers (say, at the OSU commons) adding a ton of blue cheese makes it taste awesome.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
Um... no.
3. Do you own a gun?
No sirree bob. Thought about it for a while, but decided against it in the end. I have fired several guns though and that kinda made my mind up. It was interesting but not my cup o tea.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
I usually just get a Dr. Pepper, straight. I haven't had one of their icy drinks... yet. Maybe some day when I'm playing hooky during the 2 - 4pm half price special they always have.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Nope. I usually register a fairly low heartrate which always amuses me.
6. What do you think of hot dogs?
I agree with Todd: hot dogs awesome, even those weird little mini corn dogs appetizers.
7. Favorite Christmas movie?
C'mon... Is there anything other than 'A Christmas Story'. I am so happy that TBS continues to have the 24 hour marathon.
Um.. 8 through 12 anyone? I looked and found one where the first 7 were the same and then had 8 through 12 but was missing 13 and question 13 was 15. So I don't know WTF is up with that. Did find one where 13 matched up so I'll go with that version.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Water. I don't like boiled leaves or twigs.
9. Can you do push ups!?
Sure. Just don't ask me to do more than 10. :P
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
My wedding ring. It's also the only piece of jewelry I really wear.
11. Favorite hobby?
Listening to music. Unless of course eating food can be considered a hobby. Food is good.
12. Do you have A.D.D.?
I have no been professionally diagnosed. I don't think I do, but what do I know.
13. What is one trait you hate about yourself?
My temper. It's a bit... explosive at times.
14. Middle name?
Michael.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
- I hope the batter doesn't die on the laptop before the wife gets to check her mail
- I should have been watching Iron Chef more closely. It was battle cheddar chesse
- Work tomorrow is not gonig to be fun.
16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
Yesterday? I bought a laundry basket, some frankenberry cereal and some infant drink
I'm filling in the missing question 17 from a different meme since the one I pulled 8 through twelve from has 17 as 'current worry'. Actually... most other memes have question 18 as 'three things your regularily drink... so I'm filling in with that. I hate it when people mess up the questions to a meme in order to get dirt on one of their friends. I'm not accusing any of MY friends, I'm talking about whoever yanked out the questions from this one and added who knows what.
17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
1. water, 2. diet dr. pepper 3. milk
18. Current worry...
That I won't be able to make ends meet when the lil one shows up and this economy officially goes into the shitter.
19. Current hate right now?
The fact that I obsess about money and that it ruins my ability to enjoy anything at all.
20. Favorite place to be?
At home.
21. Where would you like to go?
Vietnam. My friend justgot back from his honeymoon there and the pictures are beautiful.
22. Name three people who will complete this?
Todd (where I yanked it from), me... and Ian (who I think was the person who started all of this. Funny that Todd said I would finish it and I didn't even read that question before starting this. :-P
23. Name three people you would like to complete this?
I don't wanna. And it's not likely that three other people will complete this.
24. Shirt you are wearing?
Black Ben Folds t-shirt from the 2005 tour, with Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright (sp?)
25. What year would you go back in time to?
2002. Things for the most part were really good then. Band was doing well. Met my wife. Etc.
26. Can you whistle?
You know it. I can even sound like a referee's whistle.
27. Favorite color?
Blue
28. Would you be a pirate?
Um... no. Wouldn't be clean. Too many people scheming to kill me and take my ship
29. Favorite girl's name?
Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout. :P
30. Favorite boy's name?
Shel Silverstien :P :P
31. Last thing you dreamed about?
I was at a garage sale (for some gamer dude) in the middle of a city. It started raining, so me and someone else grabbed the money and whatever other video game collectables we could. We ran into this college dorm looking for the dude. We finally found him and he was like 'oh, thanks'. We went back outside and the rain had stopped and the gamer dude was with us. The guy running the sale said 'don't worry Billy, we got all of it out of the rain for you. So I ran up to the sale dude, got up in his face and said that he was a liar as I help up several game cartriges which water started pouring out of them.
32. What's in your pocket right now?
Nothing.
33. Last person that made you laugh?
My wife.
34. Best Halloween costume?
King Diamond circa 2003 >:)
35. Worst injury you've ever had?
Shreaded tendons on my right ankle
36. Do you like where you live?
Yeah. I like C-bus. My house on the other hand it a bit small for a family of four.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house?
3. Two of which are hooked up.
38. Who is your loudest friend?
I think Todd wins this one. :)
39. How many dogs do you have?
zero.
40. Does someone have a crush on you?
I steal Todd's answer: Is it a crush if they're married to you?
41. What is your favorite book?
Umm... Probably 'Bootleg: the other recording industry. It's the only book I've ever read twice.
42. What is your favorite candy?
Hmm... that's a hard one. Um... Today, I'll say... the Zero bar. Mmm... white chocolate with chocolate nougat.
43. Favorite Sports Team ?
Go Buckeyes!!!
44. Favorite Sport?
To play? Beach volleyball To watch? Go Buckeyes!!!
45. What were you doing 12 AM last night?
That's none of your business. >:-)
46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
That was a messed up dream (see question 31)
1. Do you like blue cheese?
You know it. But sometimes I prefer bleu cheese. Of note, if you are eating semi-edible hamburgers (say, at the OSU commons) adding a ton of blue cheese makes it taste awesome.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
Um... no.
3. Do you own a gun?
No sirree bob. Thought about it for a while, but decided against it in the end. I have fired several guns though and that kinda made my mind up. It was interesting but not my cup o tea.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?
I usually just get a Dr. Pepper, straight. I haven't had one of their icy drinks... yet. Maybe some day when I'm playing hooky during the 2 - 4pm half price special they always have.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Nope. I usually register a fairly low heartrate which always amuses me.
6. What do you think of hot dogs?
I agree with Todd: hot dogs awesome, even those weird little mini corn dogs appetizers.
7. Favorite Christmas movie?
C'mon... Is there anything other than 'A Christmas Story'. I am so happy that TBS continues to have the 24 hour marathon.
Um.. 8 through 12 anyone? I looked and found one where the first 7 were the same and then had 8 through 12 but was missing 13 and question 13 was 15. So I don't know WTF is up with that. Did find one where 13 matched up so I'll go with that version.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Water. I don't like boiled leaves or twigs.
9. Can you do push ups!?
Sure. Just don't ask me to do more than 10. :P
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
My wedding ring. It's also the only piece of jewelry I really wear.
11. Favorite hobby?
Listening to music. Unless of course eating food can be considered a hobby. Food is good.
12. Do you have A.D.D.?
I have no been professionally diagnosed. I don't think I do, but what do I know.
13. What is one trait you hate about yourself?
My temper. It's a bit... explosive at times.
14. Middle name?
Michael.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
- I hope the batter doesn't die on the laptop before the wife gets to check her mail
- I should have been watching Iron Chef more closely. It was battle cheddar chesse
- Work tomorrow is not gonig to be fun.
16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
Yesterday? I bought a laundry basket, some frankenberry cereal and some infant drink
I'm filling in the missing question 17 from a different meme since the one I pulled 8 through twelve from has 17 as 'current worry'. Actually... most other memes have question 18 as 'three things your regularily drink... so I'm filling in with that. I hate it when people mess up the questions to a meme in order to get dirt on one of their friends. I'm not accusing any of MY friends, I'm talking about whoever yanked out the questions from this one and added who knows what.
17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
1. water, 2. diet dr. pepper 3. milk
18. Current worry...
That I won't be able to make ends meet when the lil one shows up and this economy officially goes into the shitter.
19. Current hate right now?
The fact that I obsess about money and that it ruins my ability to enjoy anything at all.
20. Favorite place to be?
At home.
21. Where would you like to go?
Vietnam. My friend justgot back from his honeymoon there and the pictures are beautiful.
22. Name three people who will complete this?
Todd (where I yanked it from), me... and Ian (who I think was the person who started all of this. Funny that Todd said I would finish it and I didn't even read that question before starting this. :-P
23. Name three people you would like to complete this?
I don't wanna. And it's not likely that three other people will complete this.
24. Shirt you are wearing?
Black Ben Folds t-shirt from the 2005 tour, with Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright (sp?)
25. What year would you go back in time to?
2002. Things for the most part were really good then. Band was doing well. Met my wife. Etc.
26. Can you whistle?
You know it. I can even sound like a referee's whistle.
27. Favorite color?
Blue
28. Would you be a pirate?
Um... no. Wouldn't be clean. Too many people scheming to kill me and take my ship
29. Favorite girl's name?
Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout. :P
30. Favorite boy's name?
Shel Silverstien :P :P
31. Last thing you dreamed about?
I was at a garage sale (for some gamer dude) in the middle of a city. It started raining, so me and someone else grabbed the money and whatever other video game collectables we could. We ran into this college dorm looking for the dude. We finally found him and he was like 'oh, thanks'. We went back outside and the rain had stopped and the gamer dude was with us. The guy running the sale said 'don't worry Billy, we got all of it out of the rain for you. So I ran up to the sale dude, got up in his face and said that he was a liar as I help up several game cartriges which water started pouring out of them.
32. What's in your pocket right now?
Nothing.
33. Last person that made you laugh?
My wife.
34. Best Halloween costume?
King Diamond circa 2003 >:)
35. Worst injury you've ever had?
Shreaded tendons on my right ankle
36. Do you like where you live?
Yeah. I like C-bus. My house on the other hand it a bit small for a family of four.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house?
3. Two of which are hooked up.
38. Who is your loudest friend?
I think Todd wins this one. :)
39. How many dogs do you have?
zero.
40. Does someone have a crush on you?
I steal Todd's answer: Is it a crush if they're married to you?
41. What is your favorite book?
Umm... Probably 'Bootleg: the other recording industry. It's the only book I've ever read twice.
42. What is your favorite candy?
Hmm... that's a hard one. Um... Today, I'll say... the Zero bar. Mmm... white chocolate with chocolate nougat.
43. Favorite Sports Team ?
Go Buckeyes!!!
44. Favorite Sport?
To play? Beach volleyball To watch? Go Buckeyes!!!
45. What were you doing 12 AM last night?
That's none of your business. >:-)
46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
That was a messed up dream (see question 31)
Monday, September 29, 2008
A little bit of this... a little bit of that.
Hmm... where to start... I had a whole bunch of stuff lined up in my head... and now... *poof*... they are gone.
Well, last weekend the family got to go to Leed's Farm. It was a lot of fun. The little one got to go down some slides, play in the hay, play in a 'corn' box (think sand box, but filled with corn instead). I even took the little one a lap or two around a race track in a pedalled go kart. We even met up with the White's there by coincidence and had lunch together which was nice since we haven't see them in forever. The bonus was getting to see their new little one.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Last Friday, I took the Vibe back to the dealership. It was a sad day. I really liked that little car. It got great gas mileage. I hauled all sorts of stuff in that thing. 20 bags of mulch? No problem. Haul the drums to a gig? Did that several times. 300 lbs of rocks? Sure, why not, though not recommended for long hauls.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This Friday, on the other hand, I had to take the 01 Grand Prix to the same dealership. I nearly didn't get out of the parking lot at work because the battery was dead. Boo. So we took the GP in. I could have just dropped another battery in, but I wanted to make sure that the alternator wasn't toast. As we were leaving, we saw the Vibe in the used car lot. My wife wife felt bad seeing it sitting there, lonely. But it's okay. Good memories in that car. I gave it back to them with only 31k miles on it when it was a 48k lease. It'll make a great car for some high school or college student. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. :)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Took the little one to urgent care yesterday, which is no fun. She's been battling boogers for quite a while and when some of the boogers started being bloody, enough was enough so we took her in. But, no worries, everything is okay. It's just what it sounds like. A cold. I have to say, though, I take no joy in having to hold my daughter's head and arms at the same time while the doctor is trying to look in her mouth, ears and nose. But she's a trooper and settles down very quickly.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
What else? I'm sure there is something else. I passed the 20k mark on the Music Counter. But that happened a while ago.
I can't think of them at the moment, so this information will have to suffice for now.
Hope your weekends have been good to you. Mine have been too short as of late. But that's the way it goes I guess.
Well, last weekend the family got to go to Leed's Farm. It was a lot of fun. The little one got to go down some slides, play in the hay, play in a 'corn' box (think sand box, but filled with corn instead). I even took the little one a lap or two around a race track in a pedalled go kart. We even met up with the White's there by coincidence and had lunch together which was nice since we haven't see them in forever. The bonus was getting to see their new little one.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Last Friday, I took the Vibe back to the dealership. It was a sad day. I really liked that little car. It got great gas mileage. I hauled all sorts of stuff in that thing. 20 bags of mulch? No problem. Haul the drums to a gig? Did that several times. 300 lbs of rocks? Sure, why not, though not recommended for long hauls.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This Friday, on the other hand, I had to take the 01 Grand Prix to the same dealership. I nearly didn't get out of the parking lot at work because the battery was dead. Boo. So we took the GP in. I could have just dropped another battery in, but I wanted to make sure that the alternator wasn't toast. As we were leaving, we saw the Vibe in the used car lot. My wife wife felt bad seeing it sitting there, lonely. But it's okay. Good memories in that car. I gave it back to them with only 31k miles on it when it was a 48k lease. It'll make a great car for some high school or college student. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. :)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Took the little one to urgent care yesterday, which is no fun. She's been battling boogers for quite a while and when some of the boogers started being bloody, enough was enough so we took her in. But, no worries, everything is okay. It's just what it sounds like. A cold. I have to say, though, I take no joy in having to hold my daughter's head and arms at the same time while the doctor is trying to look in her mouth, ears and nose. But she's a trooper and settles down very quickly.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
What else? I'm sure there is something else. I passed the 20k mark on the Music Counter. But that happened a while ago.
I can't think of them at the moment, so this information will have to suffice for now.
Hope your weekends have been good to you. Mine have been too short as of late. But that's the way it goes I guess.
Monday, September 15, 2008
WE GOT THE POWER!!!
No, I'm not singing that Lizzy Borden tune by the same name... actually, yes I am... because we have got the power. Or, well, we have power now. Yay!
Mr. Zurin says 'More power!'
... from the infamous blimp scene in "A View To A Kill", one of my favorite James Bond movies... mainly cause it is so bad and because Christopher Walken is in it (and mutters that line).
Actually, right now _any_ power would be nice. I'm sure Ian has it good cause he's over at his lady's house. Todd and Tom are probably a-ok 'cause I heard Westerville was spared. Kevin is one of the peachy keen few in Dublin who still have power. I, on the other hand, do not have power. Booo! MORE POWER!!! DO IT!!!
AS for the rest of the family, for how, we're doing okay. There are still places that have power, and those places have food. So that's fine. Our food in the fridge and freezer are probably already toast. And that's fine too. If I had half a cow in there like some families do, then maybe I'd make an effort to get it out of there and save it. But it amounts, for the most part to: 4 frozen (or unfrozen) pizzas, 5 lbs of ground beef, 1 bag of chicken breasts, 1 box of egg rolls (I'll miss those :( ) and various other left overs. That's pretty much it in the freezer. And the fridge had been mostly cleared out recently, so all that was really in there was some ketchup and whatnot. Half a gallon of milk. Nothing for me really to worry about. It's just gone (or soon to be gone) and that's how it goes. Places still have power. Places still have food. And tap water is just fine.
Thus far, the temperature in the house hasn't been an issue yet. It was quite nice last night, really. Once the hurricane like winds were over, there was a nice breeze that would go through the house and keep things cooled down to a respectable level.
So, for all of you viewers out there... we're doing okay. I know each and everyone of you would help with whatever if we asked, that just goes without saying cause all my friends are wonderful people. Who knows, we might call you tonight to see if you want to do dinner. Ya never know. ;-) But for now, we're just playing it by ear and doing what we can.
In other news, I was pretty much sick all last week to boot. From Tuesday evening through Saturday evening, I was dealing with my total body aching at every joint and having my fever spike and sending me into chills (even when standing in a warm shower) about... oh ... everything 2 or 3 hours. Not alot of congestion to speak of thank goodness, just an annoying 'dry' cough with not much behind it. It was alot of fun. But I'm mostly better now. Still coughing a little bit, but that's about it.
So, see? All's good. Now, let's have a few extra seconds of silence to pray that AEP gets this whole mess figured out quickly so 300, 500 or however many hundreds of thousands of people can get back to doing there thang.
Actually, right now _any_ power would be nice. I'm sure Ian has it good cause he's over at his lady's house. Todd and Tom are probably a-ok 'cause I heard Westerville was spared. Kevin is one of the peachy keen few in Dublin who still have power. I, on the other hand, do not have power. Booo! MORE POWER!!! DO IT!!!
AS for the rest of the family, for how, we're doing okay. There are still places that have power, and those places have food. So that's fine. Our food in the fridge and freezer are probably already toast. And that's fine too. If I had half a cow in there like some families do, then maybe I'd make an effort to get it out of there and save it. But it amounts, for the most part to: 4 frozen (or unfrozen) pizzas, 5 lbs of ground beef, 1 bag of chicken breasts, 1 box of egg rolls (I'll miss those :( ) and various other left overs. That's pretty much it in the freezer. And the fridge had been mostly cleared out recently, so all that was really in there was some ketchup and whatnot. Half a gallon of milk. Nothing for me really to worry about. It's just gone (or soon to be gone) and that's how it goes. Places still have power. Places still have food. And tap water is just fine.
Thus far, the temperature in the house hasn't been an issue yet. It was quite nice last night, really. Once the hurricane like winds were over, there was a nice breeze that would go through the house and keep things cooled down to a respectable level.
So, for all of you viewers out there... we're doing okay. I know each and everyone of you would help with whatever if we asked, that just goes without saying cause all my friends are wonderful people. Who knows, we might call you tonight to see if you want to do dinner. Ya never know. ;-) But for now, we're just playing it by ear and doing what we can.
In other news, I was pretty much sick all last week to boot. From Tuesday evening through Saturday evening, I was dealing with my total body aching at every joint and having my fever spike and sending me into chills (even when standing in a warm shower) about... oh ... everything 2 or 3 hours. Not alot of congestion to speak of thank goodness, just an annoying 'dry' cough with not much behind it. It was alot of fun. But I'm mostly better now. Still coughing a little bit, but that's about it.
So, see? All's good. Now, let's have a few extra seconds of silence to pray that AEP gets this whole mess figured out quickly so 300, 500 or however many hundreds of thousands of people can get back to doing there thang.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Nectarines are swell... and other crap
Story #1: Nectarines are swell
Sunday afternoon my wife peeled and cut up a nectarine, but for some reason she didn't like the taste. Seemed fine to me, so I finished it off. Of course, about an hour later my throat was swelling. Not swelling shut, but it's like the soft palette gets inflamed or something. This is the problem I have with apples as well. I can eat apple sauce and apple pie, but give me a raw apple (usually with the skin still on) and my throat gets all kerfluged. It makes it uncomfortable to swallow food and it sucks. And depending on how much I eat, it can either take a hour for the swelling to go down or a day. Well, I ate an entire nectarine, so it took about 24 hours for it not to feel like I was swallowing fine sandpaper.
I think it's something that they spray on the fruit to fight off bugs and disease. I told my boss about it yesterday in passing and he said 'yeah, about 10 years ago the same thing started to happen to me. Unless the fruit is peeled, my throat gets all swollen. The interesting part about this conversation, is this is about the same time I started having problems. I remember eating an apple at work around 1998 or 1999. I didn't wash it (cause I was a stupid bachelor) and the next thing I knew my throat was nearly swollen shut. I could still breathe fine but swallowing food took effort. That lasted about 2 days that first time.
The interesting thing about this is that my wife had peeled the nectarine. However, the skin of an apple and nectarine are much different. Nectarine skin is much more porous, so I'm guessing whatever insecticide they use gets absorbed by the fruit itself. Just the though of having my daughter eat that crap scares me a bit. Guess we'll be getting organic apples and nectarines from now one since organic fruits don't usually get sprayed with stuff like that.
Story #2: Other crap...
So, Sunday morning we hopped into the van and were heading off to Waffle House because it sounded REALLY tasty. So we backed out of the van. That's when I noticed the toilet paper hanging off my car. I figured it was some teenage boneheads. I wanted to make sure that they hadn't done anything else to the car so I got out. Once I got around to the driver side that's when I saw it... smeared on the windows. Yes. It was poop. I don't know what kinda poop. Might have been doggie poop, but I've cleaned up after dogs before and, um... it didn't smell like this. So went to the faucet and put some water on the toilet paper and proceeded to clean off said crap. Some of it had dried pretty good, so it took some scrubbin' to get it all off.
I looked around and all the other cars that were out on the street (and in my neighborhood, that is about every freakin' house) and they all seemed to be fine. Just mine. And that makes this just weird. We pretty much keep to ourselves, so it bugs me that this happened. I have the feeling that my years is a 'through way' between my neighborhood and the 2 different neighborhoods which lie in my backyard. We don't have a fence like most of our neighbors, so it's probably just an easy place to cross.
But, anyway, it also bugs me because there have been several acts of weirdness that happen at my house. In the past 5 years, the following have weird things have occurred:
1) One day when taking out the trash I noticed a billfold in my big city trashcan that sits outside. It looked fairly new. I figured Maryann had it and didn't want it so she threw it away. Mine was getting crappy, so I figured waste not want not. So I opened it up and noticed it wasn't new. It had a persons license, college ID, and various other things. I asked a couple of neighbors if they knew who the person was. Turns out it was one of the kids down the street. Dumb ass had left it in his car, which was likely unlocked. He had just gotten his first paycheck and the silly fool had cashed it. Of course, the money was gone. But at least he got his library card back. But why did they pick MY trashcan. It's not like there aren't other trashcans sitting outside in my neighborhood.
2) Another time I noticed that there was a purse laying in the street. Turns out it was a small Coach purse. It was empty with the exception of a scrap of paper which had someone's work schedule on it. I asked several neighbors but it didn't belong to any of them. Again, why dump it outside of my house. My wife tried taking it to Plato's Closet thinking we'd get a few buck out of it cause it was a Coach purse. They wouldn't take it cause they said 'There are alot of counterfeits out there'. Whatever. This was the real deal with a serial number and everything. We ended up giving to her niece. Who knows if she still has it.
3) One day when I was leaving for work I noticed a red duffel back sitting by my garage. It had a bunch of baseball equipment in it: a baseball bat and catcher's gear. I thought maybe some kid dropped it when goofing off with his friends. So I left it in the front year, assuming that they'd pick it up that morning or when they came home from school. I got back from work and it was still there. Again, why did someone drop this random thing in MY yard. Anyways, I did find out that it belonged so some Catholic School. I found info on the school website and tried contacting the principal, athletic director and the baseball coach. The principal and AD never did contact me. But, about 2 hours after I sent the email I did hear from the baseball coach. He said he said, given the color of the shin guards he had a good idea of who's it was, but had some errands to run so he'd call me later and arrange a time to meet up and he could have the school's equipment back. Two months and several emails later, he finally got back in touch with me. He said he lost the original email or something. He had some errands to run that weekend and said he could probably meet up so I could give him the equipment. And of course, I didn't hear from him. After about 8 months of trying to get the equipment to him, I gave up. The wife was tired of tripping over it in the garage, so we gave it to her nephew. He's a big guy, and the stuff was seemingly for a small catcher, so I have no idea what he did with the stuff. At least the bat was nice. Maybe he used that. *shrug*
So, yeah... that's some weird stuff. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Sunday afternoon my wife peeled and cut up a nectarine, but for some reason she didn't like the taste. Seemed fine to me, so I finished it off. Of course, about an hour later my throat was swelling. Not swelling shut, but it's like the soft palette gets inflamed or something. This is the problem I have with apples as well. I can eat apple sauce and apple pie, but give me a raw apple (usually with the skin still on) and my throat gets all kerfluged. It makes it uncomfortable to swallow food and it sucks. And depending on how much I eat, it can either take a hour for the swelling to go down or a day. Well, I ate an entire nectarine, so it took about 24 hours for it not to feel like I was swallowing fine sandpaper.
I think it's something that they spray on the fruit to fight off bugs and disease. I told my boss about it yesterday in passing and he said 'yeah, about 10 years ago the same thing started to happen to me. Unless the fruit is peeled, my throat gets all swollen. The interesting part about this conversation, is this is about the same time I started having problems. I remember eating an apple at work around 1998 or 1999. I didn't wash it (cause I was a stupid bachelor) and the next thing I knew my throat was nearly swollen shut. I could still breathe fine but swallowing food took effort. That lasted about 2 days that first time.
The interesting thing about this is that my wife had peeled the nectarine. However, the skin of an apple and nectarine are much different. Nectarine skin is much more porous, so I'm guessing whatever insecticide they use gets absorbed by the fruit itself. Just the though of having my daughter eat that crap scares me a bit. Guess we'll be getting organic apples and nectarines from now one since organic fruits don't usually get sprayed with stuff like that.
Story #2: Other crap...
So, Sunday morning we hopped into the van and were heading off to Waffle House because it sounded REALLY tasty. So we backed out of the van. That's when I noticed the toilet paper hanging off my car. I figured it was some teenage boneheads. I wanted to make sure that they hadn't done anything else to the car so I got out. Once I got around to the driver side that's when I saw it... smeared on the windows. Yes. It was poop. I don't know what kinda poop. Might have been doggie poop, but I've cleaned up after dogs before and, um... it didn't smell like this. So went to the faucet and put some water on the toilet paper and proceeded to clean off said crap. Some of it had dried pretty good, so it took some scrubbin' to get it all off.
I looked around and all the other cars that were out on the street (and in my neighborhood, that is about every freakin' house) and they all seemed to be fine. Just mine. And that makes this just weird. We pretty much keep to ourselves, so it bugs me that this happened. I have the feeling that my years is a 'through way' between my neighborhood and the 2 different neighborhoods which lie in my backyard. We don't have a fence like most of our neighbors, so it's probably just an easy place to cross.
But, anyway, it also bugs me because there have been several acts of weirdness that happen at my house. In the past 5 years, the following have weird things have occurred:
1) One day when taking out the trash I noticed a billfold in my big city trashcan that sits outside. It looked fairly new. I figured Maryann had it and didn't want it so she threw it away. Mine was getting crappy, so I figured waste not want not. So I opened it up and noticed it wasn't new. It had a persons license, college ID, and various other things. I asked a couple of neighbors if they knew who the person was. Turns out it was one of the kids down the street. Dumb ass had left it in his car, which was likely unlocked. He had just gotten his first paycheck and the silly fool had cashed it. Of course, the money was gone. But at least he got his library card back. But why did they pick MY trashcan. It's not like there aren't other trashcans sitting outside in my neighborhood.
2) Another time I noticed that there was a purse laying in the street. Turns out it was a small Coach purse. It was empty with the exception of a scrap of paper which had someone's work schedule on it. I asked several neighbors but it didn't belong to any of them. Again, why dump it outside of my house. My wife tried taking it to Plato's Closet thinking we'd get a few buck out of it cause it was a Coach purse. They wouldn't take it cause they said 'There are alot of counterfeits out there'. Whatever. This was the real deal with a serial number and everything. We ended up giving to her niece. Who knows if she still has it.
3) One day when I was leaving for work I noticed a red duffel back sitting by my garage. It had a bunch of baseball equipment in it: a baseball bat and catcher's gear. I thought maybe some kid dropped it when goofing off with his friends. So I left it in the front year, assuming that they'd pick it up that morning or when they came home from school. I got back from work and it was still there. Again, why did someone drop this random thing in MY yard. Anyways, I did find out that it belonged so some Catholic School. I found info on the school website and tried contacting the principal, athletic director and the baseball coach. The principal and AD never did contact me. But, about 2 hours after I sent the email I did hear from the baseball coach. He said he said, given the color of the shin guards he had a good idea of who's it was, but had some errands to run so he'd call me later and arrange a time to meet up and he could have the school's equipment back. Two months and several emails later, he finally got back in touch with me. He said he lost the original email or something. He had some errands to run that weekend and said he could probably meet up so I could give him the equipment. And of course, I didn't hear from him. After about 8 months of trying to get the equipment to him, I gave up. The wife was tired of tripping over it in the garage, so we gave it to her nephew. He's a big guy, and the stuff was seemingly for a small catcher, so I have no idea what he did with the stuff. At least the bat was nice. Maybe he used that. *shrug*
So, yeah... that's some weird stuff. That's all I can think of at the moment.
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