This is one of those songs that isn't really deep. There is no hidden meaning. It is just a guitar driven roadhog of a song. Forget the slow lane. This song takes up the fast lane, slow lane, and part of each shoulder. It's big!
I posted this @ 4/27/2006 12:02:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
BABY LOVE
This entry is about TV and babies. Just getting that out of the way, in case it gets muddled later.
BABIES BABIES BABIES
A big congratualtions to my friends Brenda & Dustin!!! I know she had her ups and downs, but I'm sure everyone is glad that her Little One is here.
Now... about babies I'm tired of hearing about.
I am so over Suri Holmes-Cruise. Congrats! He found a way to spawn.
I could care less Brad and Angelina finally admit they are a couple and that she is going to have a baby too.
I'm truly frightened that Brittany Spears is pregnant again. It's like... ok, fine. Have your kids... But wow... Can we get her into some Mommy & Me groups or something? She only has one lap. Where's she gonna put this kid when she tries to escape papparazzi?
I can't get enough of reality television. Not just old show, but Survivor and Amazing Race in particular.
I'll read the spoiler sites about Survivor that pretty much gives away who gets kicked off in what order (other than the finale). And it doesn't bother me. I still watch just as much. Even though I've read the rationale why they say so-and-so is going to be voted off, I still watch. Spoilers aren't always right. It's just speculation based on pattern and little tidbits of fact here and there. Nothing concrete.
More importantly... this season of Survivor seems to have had the biggest bunch of dopes that I've ever seen. It was a school-yard pick for teams and somehow the idiots all gravitated towards each other.
My two biggest annoyances on the show are Shane and Terry. Shane (who is rumored to be local) is crazy! Why pick Survivor to be the place that you decide to give up your three pack-a-day cigarette habit? He went from withdrawals to complete lunacy. I understand that editing plays a part in how people or portrayed, but they don't dub what you say. And half the shit that is coming out of his mouth just sounds like non-sensical ramblings. He is upset when the people on his team don't back him or make decisions without him. He has been lucky that his team has won a lot of challenges in the past and they haven't had to turn on each other. But it'll happen. And when it does... he's gone.
Terry on the other hand is trying to play it smart. Yet, failing miserably. He has had an ace up his sleeve for the last 4 episodes. He has been outnumbered for a long while. He tells people he's trying to swing the favor to his team, yet he has passed up opportunities to do so at every turn. I was beginning to think that he too was an idiot. Then it occured to me. What if that has been his plan all along? Get people to vote the same way he votes. So he doesn't HAVE to use his saving grace of hidden immunity.
I know... I'm talking nonsense. If you don't watch the show, this probably means nothing to you.
Amazing Race has been bittersweet for me this year. After the ultra-lame Family Edition last time, I had renewed hopes for a great show this time around. Unfortunately, most of the teams have been unlikable or really hard to like. The few times I did favor have been eliminated. So it's a matter of rooting for the least annoying team, of the ones that are left.
There is no real strategy to getting rid of competitors in this game. It's a game that you have to play on your own (well, with a teammate). You can't be 'out to get' anyone else that is racing. That will only lead to your downfall. You'll be too worried about tripping someone else up and you'll trip up.
I posted this @ 4/27/2006 09:05:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/26/2006
SLEEP TO DREAM
This little quiz is just bizarre enough that I couldn't not do it.
It's all part of this book. The Secret Language Of Sleep: A Couple's Guide To The Thirty-Nine Positions
Toboggan Traits and Tendencies Tobogganeers are always one step in front of their peers; they're first to buy a house, first to microdermabrate, first to spend more than a thousand dollars on a rug. Yet in their rush to get ahead of the curve, Toboggan couples sometimes find themselves racing in two entirely different directions. If they don't check in frequently to make sure they're both on the same track, they can grow impressively far apart, and it can take a great deal of painful maneuvering and many late-night talks before they reconnect once again.
Comfort Zone Toboggan is a Sun Sleeper pose. Other Sun poses a Tobogganeer might enjoy include Big C Little c, Classic Spoons, and The Heimlich.
A Note About Feeding Tobogganeers have two modes: fed and calm, and unfed and frantic. To prevent bickering and other erratic behaviors, always keep the pantry and glove box well stocked with a supply of crackers and spreadables.
I posted this @ 4/26/2006 09:12:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/25/2006
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
Are you all reading Post Secret? He updates weekly. Sunday to be exact.
I love it. Some of them are funny. Some are touching, thought provoking, dark, maybe even a little dirty.
This one struck me as interesting because I do this! I'm not saying so to blow my own horn. Simply wanting to bring attention a way that a person can 'pay it forward' in a very VERY easy way.
When I see a penny on the ground, I wonder if someone pick it up hoping their day will have better luck. I was a little shocked to see that someone else does it too.
I posted this @ 4/25/2006 12:31:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
IT'S A ONE-EYED ONE-HORNED FLYING PURPLE PEOPLE EATER
Ok. I'm getting this out of the way, first thing in the morning to give all you huddled masses something to read.
I had the craziest dream last night. What makes it shocking for me is that I didn't eat any spicy foods. Usually that'll ensure a crazy vivid dream.
The Earth was under siege by aliens. It was all very War of the Worlds. H.G. Wells not Tom Cruise. The aliens had been living here for some time and something had awakened them. It wasn't all about destruction. They were enslaving the population. Making us work for them.
I never actually did see an alien, per se. The 'ships' they were flying around in were definitely something out of WotW. There was also this show on the Discovery Channel some time ago. It was about finding life on another planet and the probes Earth would send to investigate. The lifeforms they 'find' on that show are sorta of similar.
The aliens communicate to with each other primarily through sound and rhythms. You could always tell they were coming to get someone because there would be this heavy thumping drum noise that would rattle everything. You could feel it before you could hear it, or sometimes even see them.
I know this is going to sound weird so just go with it. They came to Earth because of the different sounds they could find here. Since their primary communication used sounds, then things like the rumbling of an earthquake or the sound a whale makes or the pulsing energy that a power plant might have each gave off a sound that led them to us, and Earth.
Anyway... The aliens are kidnapping humans and forcing them to work in some sort of factory. When you are taken, you are given a number. It appears as a glowy mark on your forehead, that is only seen when you have been 'chosen'. For what I have no idea. The weird(er) part about this is that they use a base 16 numbering system.
"What?!" you might say... And trust me, so did I. In my dream when I found this factory where people were being taken to, some guy had figured out that they used a base-16 method of counting. So he knew who was going to be next, and when his time would come.
Now, let's take for just a second, and analyze this. I know very little about math. I was a Psych major. I only made it through Geometry because it was about 'shapes'. I understand the concept of base counting systems, but what the fuck!? Seriously... to dream about it? Whoa... That is a whole new level of geekery right there. I need to go take that Geek/Nerd/Dork test again.
I'm running around the city (I'm in my hometown) trying to warn people about the aliens coming and what they are doing to people. (Which I really never did figure out what they were doing.) I can recall the exact street that I was traveling on to get to various places. I took the same route around town that I did when I was younger and would cruise the city.
I found Charity and Tennille. Two good friend that I don't think every crossed paths that I am aware of. They were both at an outdoor BBQ, and... HELLO!? Aliens? Kidnapping? Is this really the time for enjoying grilled food?
Now... the analysis. What does this dream have to do with what's going on in my life right now? Hell if I know.
I don't like world-ending apocalyptic type movies. I was freaked the hell out as a little kid by WotW. But then we get how important sound and numbers were in my dream. It's like if I was to remember to or three things from my dream it would be sound, base-16, and aliens. Which is totally bizarre in any context.
I posted this @ 4/25/2006 10:50:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/24/2006
AND I SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS SHINING THROUGH
When Waiting Line pilfered this from me after I'd pilfered it. I, in return, am pilfering her idea back. Since I'd mentioned that it wasn't wholly true/untrue I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts on it.
Of the people that know my best friend, I'm not sure how many would peg him as funny right off the bat. I think he's hilarious. Maybe he hides it well. Anyway... He said something to me after I posted that personality link that I wanted to pass on.
MIKE: "I looked at your "colorgenics" personality profile link... And couldn't get past the first question because I've never felt "in harmony" with a colored cube, be it spinning or otherwise, in my life."
PERSONALITY PROFILE You are a very sensitive person and you try hard (perhaps a little too hard) to make favourable impressions and to be recognised by your peers. But you have that inherent need to feel appreciated and admired and you are easily hurt if all of your endeavours go by unappreciated or not acknowledged. Stop trying so hard.
-You like me. You really like me. I do enjoy hearing that I've done a good job on something. I wouldn't say that I have to have it or that I am overly sensitive if I don't have someone's appreciation. I did think about being competitive when reading this. I enjoy winning. I like the acknowledgment that comes with winning a game or competition of some sort.
Enough is enough. Nothing seems to be working out as you would like it to and it has got to the stage where you feel as if you can't be bothered anymore. The way you feel is that it would be great if you could be cut off from everything and take it easy - be it only for a short time.
-I can definitely see this. I was just thinking about how I miss my alone time. I also have a new understanding for when people have said this to me in the past and I couldn't fathom why that would even be an issue. Call it growth.
In spite of the fact that you believe that your hopes and ideas are realistic, it is hard for you to accept that your needs and desires are misunderstood by almost everyone within your sphere of influenceand there is no-one to turn to or rely on.
-I would agree with this. Nothing against anyone I know who reads this. It's cliched, but true. "It's not you. It's me."
Your pent-up emotions and inherent egocentricity make you quick to take offence, but as matters stand you realise that you will have to make the best of things as they are.
-I am offended by that. But seriously... I don't think I am quick to take offense.
You are being unduly influenced by the situation that is all around you. You do not like the feeling of loneliness and whatever it is that seems to separate you from others.
-I would agree with this. I do not like the feeling of loneliness. If it was a choice between being lonely and being around people. I would choose to be around people. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a choice in this matter. When in actuality, I do. I always have.
You know that life can be wonderful and you are anxious to experience life in all its aspects, to live it to the full. You therefore resent any restriction or limitations that are being imposed on you and you insist on going it alone.
-Now this would see to fly in direct opposition to what the previous statement was. I would say that I do feel like I want to live life to the fullest. I can be rather stubborn if someone tries to tell me what to do. I would've never survived army boot camp. But I wouldn't say I insist on going it alone. What fun is it if you can't share it with someone else?
You are trying to build up your own position and you resist all external influences. You insist that you are your own person and you will not tolerate any outside interference. Decisive and proud, you are true managerial material.
-Am I? I've been told before that I make a good team leader because I am trustworthy and I listen to all sides and try to make things amicable between whoever is involved. I'm diplomatic.
I posted this @ 4/24/2006 11:11:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
PERSONALITY PROFILE You are a very sensitive person and you try hard (perhaps a little too hard) to make favourable impressions and to be recognised by your peers. But you have that inherent need to feel appreciated and admired and you are easily hurt if all of your endeavours go by unappreciated or not acknowledged. Stop trying so hard.
Enough is enough. Nothing seems to be working out as you would like it to and it has got to the stage where you feel as if you can't be bothered anymore. The way you feel is that it would be great if you could be cut off from everything and take it easy - be it only for a short time.
In spite of the fact that you believe that your hopes and ideas are realistic, it is hard for you to accept that your needs and desires are misunderstood by almost everyone within your sphere of influenceand there is no-one to turn to or rely on. Your pent-up emotions and inherent egocentricity make you quick to take offence, but as matters stand you realise that you will have to make the best of things as they are.
You are being unduly influenced by the situation that is all around you. You do not like the feeling of loneliness and whatever it is that seems to separate you from others. You know that life can be wonderful and you are anxious to experience life in all its aspects, to live it to the full. You therefore resent any restriction or limitations that are being imposed on you and you insist on going it alone.
You are trying to build up your own position and you resist all external influences. You insist that you are your own person and you will not tolerate any outside interference. Decisive and proud, you are true managerial material.
I posted this @ 4/21/2006 10:16:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
DOCTOR FEELGOOD
I've gotta say... Sometimes I really wonder how gullible some people are. I'm sure I've fallen for a gag or two in my time. But I think I have a sufficient amount of caution and skepticism to spot a scoundrel.
You have to read it to believe it, but for those click-a-phobics... the article talks about how 73-year old Philip Winikoff went door to door posing as a doctor performing breast exams.
If you hadn't actually called a doctor, wouldn't you find it rather odd... that one would show up. Secondly, wouldn't it seem odd to perform such an exam without the aide of any medical technology.
I only know what the article states. There might be circumstances that they aren't relaying to the reading public. I certainly hope so. I'm glad no one was seriously hurt. Both of the women that fell for his scam let him in to their home where he fondled and sexually assaulted them.
Seeing the photo of the guy... I have to say if he showed up at my door I would've took one look and closed the door. But I can see how someone might be fooled by who seems to be at least partially genial.
On one hand you have seemingly mild manner "Doctor" Philip whose car might have broken down and he just needs to use your phone.
On the other hand we have crazy mastermind "Doktor" Winikoff who would feel you up and is eyeing your magic lady parts for belts and handbags.
At least they are still alive and relatively unharmed.
I posted this @ 4/21/2006 09:44:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
"Bad day" doesn't do justice to the bad hair WEEK that I've been having. I get my hair cut about once every 3 or 4 weeks. I find that keeping it short is best. Balding denial left me a long time ago. After the Windstorm From The West last weekend, I was reminded how much I needed a hair cut.
The only problem is the girl who cuts my hair moved. I barely finish training her how I like my hair to be cut and she has the gall to move!
Training someone new isn't going to be easy. I don't have that much hair. I don't go in for some $200 coif that will bring all the boys to the yard. I actually think I should get a discount consider how little actually gets cut and how short a time it takes.
With my last barber (Stylist? Salon expert? Coiffier?) I had to go through the various explinations.
HER: "Did you just wake up?" ME: "No... I just got home from work." HER: "Oh, cause it looks like you've got a little bed head."
She discovers that I have a weird section on my hair where the hair feels like growing against the grain. But she's forgotten by the next visit.
HER: "Which side is the funny side?" ME: "They're all funny sides."
After wetting my hair for cutting...
HER: "You hair sure does dry fast!" ME: "When you have as much hair on your head as some people have on their arms, it doesn't take long."
Yeah... So I need a hair cut.
It's always a little entertaining when someone asks if I colored my hair. Have I ever done that? Yes... And it was a train wreck. But I've had every hair color naturally. I was born blonde. Turned red. Stayed brown. And is now black on the back section of my hairline. As you can see from this youthful timeline.
Yeah... So I need a hair cut.
I posted this @ 4/20/2006 07:36:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
HEARTBEATS
It isn't unusual for me to hear new music from a variety of sources. Radio. Satellite radio. TV. Commercials. Pandora. Yahoo.
What does surprise me is when I hear a song that is so good, that has been around for a while, and I wonder how I didn't stumble across this before.
Here are a few musical recommendations.
Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is quite a mouthful to say. I first heard them here.
I annoy myself when I can only describe music in terms of other music. This band sounds like that band. If you like them, you'll like this. But for bands that you might not have ever heard before, it's the easiest way to explain a band's sound.
Clap Your Hands reminds me of The Talking Heads. More specifically, their song Young Blood reminds me of Burning Down The House. Maybe it's the guys voice. Maybe it's the guitar rhythms. Either way, give it a listen and tell me you don't think it sounds a little like David Byrne.
I'd never heard of Jose Gonzalez before. He makes the type of songs that I, like I mentioned, make you gasp when you realize you've never heard before. Heartbeats is one of those songs, a cover from fellow Swede's The Knife.
Even though it's being used as part of a commercial, by itself it is an amazing song. A couple years ago Nick Drake's Pink Moon was used as part of a VW commercial.
There is always something very moving about a song that doesn't have a lot of orchestration... Just a guy and his guitar... And has the ability to plow through your mind like a mack truck. Leaving you spinning in it's wake of dust and debris.
Pink Moon by Nick Drake Silent All These Years by Tori Amos I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie
Finally, this is a song that I've heard a couple different places, and finally took the time to seek out more.
Panic! At The Disco caught my eye when I saw the band name. What at the where now? I'd heard their name a couple times on the radio, but I'd never associated the name of the band with a particular song. It wasn't until it come up as a video on Yahoo Launch that I took notice.
That's the case for me rather often. I'll hear a song and find it very enjoyable. Then I see the video and it takes on a whole new meaning for me. I'm very visual like that. Maybe the video confirms the feelings and ideas I already had in my head. Maybe not. Maybe it completely change how I 'see' the song in my head. Either way it is always a delight for my eyes and ears.
Panic's I Write Sins Not Tragedies is not only aurally stimulating, but the video fleshes out the lyrical story. Punk meets Cirque De Soliel. Good stuff kids!
I posted this @ 4/20/2006 07:27:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
Anchorman is a riot! I love the entire cast of this movie. Everyone in it is so funny on their own, so to put them all in one movie was all most too much for me. (See: adult diapers)
I posted this @ 4/17/2006 07:15:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
HAIR
She asks me why...I'm just a hairy guy I'm hairy noon and night; Hair that's a fright. I'm hairy high and low, Don't ask me why; don't know!
Do you ever have a moment where you don't realize how much you miss something till it is gone? You see, I recently shaved my beard. I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd stopped shaving and went to trimming. I figured it must've been somewhere before Thanksgiving if not even before that. Actually I'm sure it was before that. My co-worker who was started in September mentioned this was the first time she'd seen me without it. Eight months, at least? That's a long time in my book.
I'd shaved it down a couple times opting for more of a 'strap' than a beard. I always kept it short. It wasn't anything Grizzly Adams-esuqe, but it did afford some protection from the elements. I still have a goatee, but I've had that for a LONG damn time.
The first thing I noticed is that my face felt cold and wind-chapped. What a time to pick to shave it off. Part of my reason was it the temperature. It was getting warmer. I sweat enough as it is. I don't need help holding in body heat. Of course Mother Nature then decides that she's going to kick it old school and revists the colder temperatures for a little while longer.
I've noticed a couple times that I think my face looks thinner. Certainly not under my chin(s). Now I can see the faint indentention under my cheekbones where facial hair used to be. So if I needed some sort of affirmation that I had lost a few pounds, that was nice.
The flip side was that it took literally no time to get ready in the morning. Next to showering, shaving takes up the biggest chunk of my bathroom time. If I went a couple days between shaving the small areas that I did want the stray hair, no one really noticed.
One of my 101 items is shaving my goatee as well. I'm actually VERY hesitant about doing it. I've had a goatee since I graduated college in 1997. That's a long damn time. Now if shaving a beard after eight months is somewhat disturbing to me, I may need to take a few sick days if I shave off my goatee.
Does FMLA cover that?
I posted this @ 4/17/2006 11:24:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
HE'S SO UNUSUAL
I've been a big fan and long time reader of Pamie.com. I've even gone so far as to write a fan letter. (Which I think would count as one of my 101 List of things that I can now check off.) She recently wrote an entry about Cyndi Lauper that I wanted to link to as well as sure my own Cyndi Lauper story.
I've written a few entries about the music of my life and the people and times I associate with a song. Cyndi Lauper has been someone that I've fascinated with for years.
When I was growing up my main source of new music was Friday Night Videos. An early memory is Cyndi Lauper's pre-Spice Girls "girl power" song Girls Just Want To Have Fun. Bubbly. Perky. Funky. Infectious. Once I heard it, I had to hear it again. I hoped it would remain in the Top Ten countdown for another week so I could record it on to my handheld cassette recorder.
Shortly after Girls Just Want To Have Fun came The Goonies. And if you consider me a friend I hope you know of my love for that movie. The theme song from the movie being Goonie's 'R' Good Enough, which they actually showed a couple of times on Friday Night Videos. To know that Cyndi Lauper was every remotely connected to The Goonies was almost more than I could handle. Occasionally I'd put in the movie just so I could hear the song.
After The Goonies, her next album True Colors held a whole new slew of songs for me to devour. Looking back at the songs on the album, I'd forgotten a handful of the songs that I loved. I should say I forgot her True Colors album was where they were from.
When I was in high school I made an effort to track down songs on albums that I didn't or couldn't purchase when I was in junior high. Change Of Heart was one of those songs on her True Colors album. It was one of the songs on the soundtrack of the movie that I would never be written. But I had a soundtrack!
Cyndi Lauper was the music for snuggled-up rainy days. Time After Time. She was pick-me-up music. True Colors. She was music for those blue days when you don't want to get out from underneath the covers. True Colors. She was music when you felt sassy. She Bop.
Pamie puts it best, in a way that I knew but hadn't put into wrods. "I realized it's because of Cyndi that I'm unafraid to sing in my loudest voice, even if I don't hit all of the notes, because the passion and the heart are more important."
And she is so right. Cyndi Lauper was never afraid to express what her heart desired. Cyndi Lauper spoke her mind and didn't care what anyone had to say.
I posted this @ 4/17/2006 10:05:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
FREEDOM
I'm in a thinky mood so brace yourself for a few (possibly) deep posts.
Ok... first on the agenda is Rev. Phelps and his anti-gay church. Which, I suppose, just referring to it as an "anti-gay church" isn't all that specifically descriptive. But this entry isn't about religion per se. It's about free speech.
There is an article on MSNBC about Phelps and his Protest Posse. Their picketing has brought up a debate of constitutional free speech versus his hate-filled protesting. Part of his rationale for demonstrating at funerals is the claim that gays are taking over the country. And if so... why didn't anyone tell me? Loop? I don't see no loop?
But seriously... To claim that such events like 9/11, Katrina, US deaths in Iraq, or even the deaths of West Virginia miners is God's punishment because America tolerates gays seems so ludicrous, that it becomes hard for me to even fathom anyone even believing it.
The debate has been molting into a free speech issue. Introduce a law to prohibit certains kinds of protests or allow Phelps and others like him to spew hate-filled messages where ever they please.
Now I'm all for free speech. It's what gives me the right to write a blog. While it can be a slippery slope of an issue when you try to reach it's summit, I think that it is with good reason. Once such restrictions start, where will they end? Who would be in charge of deciding and regulating such laws?
Yet a part of me feels like rooting for free speech is like supporting Pehlps by proxy. So I'm torn.
I mentioned my conflicted thoughts to Mike, who has been in many ways my moral compass. Even if we don't agree on something, I find it a lot easy to find my own bearings if I know which way North is.
His response was relieving, in a way, "...let idiots talk. Their idocy becomes more and more apparent with every word they say."
And I believe that is true. I certainly hope it is anyway. So perhaps my bigger concern shows itself as what if someone else will believe what he is saying. How long do you have to hear about the Kool-aid before the Kool-aid starts sounding mighty tasty?
It concerns me.
So far states have regulated that protest may not be done within certain areas around a funeral. The laws that have been created have been very delicate when it comes to free speech. Understandably so... While it doesn't stop their protest, it hopefully gives mourners 'room to breathe'.
I posted this @ 4/17/2006 09:04:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/15/2006
STUPID THOUGHT OF THE DAY #29
"Charlton Heston is REALLY tan in The Ten Commandments. Like George Hamilton tan. The Tan Commendments?"
I posted this @ 4/15/2006 08:04:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
4/14/2006
I HEAR YOU KNOCKING BUT YOU CAN'T COME IN
Cris: Am I a geek because I'm excited to learn that Counselor Deanna Troi [Marina Sirtis] lives in Lincoln? Mike: You're a geek for remembering her at all. Cris: lol Mike: ESPECIALLY for being gay and remembering her at all. Mike: I'm pretty sure if it weren't for some low cut tops, I wouldn't remember her... Cris: LOL Cris: Well, it wasn't her cleavage that won me over. Cris: It was her keen insight and empathic abilities. Cris: ...that and she kissed Riker. Rrrrroar!
I guess we know who I'll be stalking this weekend?
I posted this @ 4/14/2006 11:54:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/12/2006
FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE
OK kids! Who needs a pick me up? Who needs a smile on a blue day?
I've seen this video around a couple different places.
I posted this @ 4/12/2006 07:40:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
4/11/2006
I'M COMING HOME - Part 2
Visitng my Grandparents isn't typically an issue. Though, lately, it stirs up a lot of emotions with me because of their age and their health. I've accepted the inevitable, but that doesn't mean I want it to happen any sooner.
The day went quite smoothly for the most part. My Grandmother had made a list of things that she wanted help with. Some tasks were rather mundane like helping her get boxes down from closet shelves, where she would need a step stool. In an organized effort to reduce the collected clutter of 80 years worth of belongings, she cleans. It's their intentions to move to a smaller place in the near future. So the more they go through now, the less there will be to do later.
As my Gradmother sifted through boxes I went to help my Grandfather with their vehicles. When it was all said and done, I'd hand-washed three vehicles (including my own) changed the oil in one, put oil in another, checked the fluid levels of most of them. Some of this stuff I've done on my own, but I'm 31 years old and I've never changed oil in a vehicle. It's never been an issue before. But with my grandfather's assistants I was under a vehicle and getting the job done.
When it was all over, I was sweaty, crusty, and had the grime of several engines on me. I went back inside where my Grandmother asked if I wanted to take a shower. "Look at me! I smell like car. I look like a hot mechanic! If I wasn't me I'd be all over me!" She didn't get the humor and simply handed me a towel.
The next task on her list of Things To Do, involed going over all the Important Documents that would need attention when one of them passes away. Now this has been something that I actively avoiding dealing with for quite a few years. I had no problem talking on the phone about any of it. Yet the realism of wills and burial arrangments and "in case of" plans sitting in front of me created a very surreal feeling.
What struck me as amusing was that since the last conversation about The Plans was that her Important Documents safe boxes has grown from one to five. Wow! Five boxes of stuff. I have nothing to compare all this too. So maybe five is tame compared to some people who have mounds and mounds of Important Documents to be dealt with.
In some of the boxes were costume jewlery and momentos of things she'd saved. Broaches and pins from various lodges and organziations she was a part of in her youth. Some letters of meaninglessness to anyone but her. As I sat there watching her go through each item, it was like watching a time machine transport her back to various ages. Each piece of jewelry usually had a story with it. Who gave it to her? Why was it important to keep? I was only half listening. The other half of me was writing this entry in my head. In a way this blog would become my safe box for which to store memories.
I was brought to full attention when she scoffed. I looked at her to see she was holding something in a small folded envelope.
ME: "What?" HER: "You probably don't want to see." ME: "What!? Is it a tooth? Did you seriously keep a tooth?!"
I don't know why that was the first thing I jumped to, but the absurdity of her keeping something like that didn't seem to far fetched.
What she pulled out was a simple, cheap, looking ring.
HER: "It was your Father's wedding ring when he was married to [my Mom]."
I scoffed back in response. I turned back to whatever I was day dreaming about before. Only now I was fighting off tears.
Tears!? Seriously... what is up with that? It's no secret that there has been bad blood between us. Yet here is a man who I care about as much it pains me to do so. She shows me a symobolic piece of metal from when he married my mother and I break down like Shelby has just died and I am M'Lynn is losing it at the cemetery. [Props to working a Steel Magnolias reference in to this.]
I'm not sure I could explain why I was crying. Even having thought about it for a while now, I'm drawing a blank.
It didn't stop there. As she continued going through these Important Document boxes she pulled out a large enveloped with typed events of what happend to me from when I was a newborn till I was about 8 years old. As part of hoping my Father would retain custody of me, my Grandmother urged him to keep a log of any contact my Mother had with me. Any positive or negatives events that happened.
She said again, that I probably wouldn't want to see these letters either. I told her I was feeling 'daring' and why not. Part of me has always had an idea of what took place. I guess part of me wants to know for sure if the memories in my head have been mutated by years. How accurate are they when compared to my Father's recollection of the events? I figured my Grandmother kept them for a reason. It almost seemed improper to NOT read them.
I could only skim the papers. First of all the smell of paper that has been sitting in a basement for over 20 years is not pleasant. Secondly, I was tearing up just HOLDING the papers. I wasn't about to break out into a full blown crying jag in front of her. I'd save that for my own apartment with a container of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough.
One of my earliest recollections is having pnuemonia when I was about 5 years old. I can remember the lights being really dim in my bedroom. My Grandmother and Great-Grandmother (who also lived with us) were sitting on the bed with me swapping out cold wash cloths and taking my temperature. It was intersting to read what lead up to being sick.
Obviously there is going to be bias becuase of who was doing the writing. I understand that. After having read the papers I don't think my view of either of my parents has changed. Reading them helped fill in a few gaps here and there. It even explained a few habits my Grandmother had in how she cared for me as a child and into adulthood.
Reading it, you can see the nervousness growing and I can pinpoint, almost to the day, I started biting my nails out of nervous habit. Which I'm sure is all fodder for The Couch someday. There was even a little information about relatives that I know I have, but have never really known. I have two uncles and two aunts on my mothers side. One of the uncles was in prison
My parents were young. Too young. A mother who wasn't ready and a father who didn't know what to do. I don't fault them for anything other than being careless. It's not like I can have any regrets about how things played out. If it wasn't for my past, I wouldn't be who I am today. And I like who I am, for the most part.
My Grandmother said I could do whatever I wanted to with the papers after I'd read them. I'll probably throw them away. I've read them. There is no point in holding on to them and continually re-reading them. Why do that to myself?
I'm glad I read them. I'm glad that I know.
There might be a Part 3 to all this... I haven't decided. I need to put some thoughts together overall and see what comes of it.
Thanks for reading. You're the cheapest therapist I could afford. ;-) And probably the nicest too!
I posted this @ 4/11/2006 12:47:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
MOOD MUSIC
I know I've said this before, but I really do think life has a soundtrack. Or it should if it doesn't already. This was magnified by the fact that as Chocolate was playing on my computer a lady was walking by in time with the music.
So here are some songs for today's mood.
Ben Lee - Catch My Disease
My head is a box full of nothing and that's the way I like it
Snow Patrol - Chocolate
Goodness knows I saw it coming Or at least I'll claim I did But in truth I'm lost for words
What have I done it's too late for that What have I become truth is nothing yet A simple mistake starts the hardest time I promise I'll do anything you ask...this time
Oasis - Don't Go Away
Damn my situation and the games I have to play With all the things caught in my mind Damn my education I can't find the words to say About all the things caught in my mind
I posted this @ 4/11/2006 12:35:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
I'M COMING HOME - Part 1
Otherwise known as... MONDAY MONDAY
I'd wanted to take photos of my home town for a long time now. I used to make regular trips, only an hour long drive, to my home town. I strayed away from such regularity for various reasons. None of them valid. All of them excuses. Now I find myself getting back into the swing of things, and going to the place I called home for over twenty years more often.
I left Monday morning armed with only my camera and a good nights rest. I've made the drive hundreds of times. I could easily zone out if I didn't pay attention. I was making a mental list of places that I wanted to take photos of. Things that were important for my own personal reasons. Places that I hadn't been to in years because of no particular reason to go.
I started at Steinhart Park. When I was in high school and the thing to do on the weekends was cruise around town I made sure my cruising route included a trip through Steinhart Park. During the summer there was always activities going on. Cars would line the already narrow road, as parents showed up to watch their son or daughter play baseball in one of it's various age-specific variations.
There has been a tank parked off in main park road for many years. I've known what it was there for, but never took the time to stop and look. It can be seen from the highway through town.
The pond at the park was always a source of amusement. The banks have eroded over the years and needed to be reinforced with concrete and corrugated walls. I can remember walking along the bank being careful not to slip and fall in the murky mossy water.
For two summers I helped coach a little league team. It started out as hanging out with a friend from work. By the end of the next summer everyone else had bailed I found myself coaching. Being the 'newest' team in the league we got the short end when it came to team picks. It was great fun, even though we were the worst team in the league. Poor kids... they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. My fellow coaches were also co-workers and members of the Volunteer Rescue Squad in town. The parents were a lot more well behaved than I first thought they might be. There was little attitude present to worry about.
For one summer I worked at the municipal swimming pool. It was one of the most fun I ever had in a summer job. Looking at the pool now it seems so much smaller than when I was a kid. Even from when I was in high school. Maybe it is the lack of people and the Winter neglect, but the pool just looks sad and lonely.
The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. The fanfare and celebration. The seedy carnivals. Being able to enjoy the most of the longest times of daylight in the year. The park came to life even more than it would be any other time of the year.
The terraces by the pool would be filled with townspeople all eagerly awaiting the fireworks which were launch from one of the outer baseball fields. If you didn't get there early you could expect to be watching from a poor vantage point. I figured most of the kids (and probably some parents) had made a day of it. Start off at the pool when it first opened and stay there all day and into the night. Leaving water-logged and fireworks full.
Arbor Lodge was one of those places that I would always get asked about by tourists to the city. What is it about? Who lived there? Is it worth seeing? It's weird to have grown up there and have less of an appreciation of such a thing. Where some people came to the town and couldn't wait to take a tour of the grounds of the Arbor Day hero, I barely knew anything about him.
The apple orchards were (and still are) a draw for the city. Of the two major holidays the town celebrates, Arbor Day being the first. Applejack is the second and I would almost guess the bigger of the two. Where Arbor Day can be celebrated anywhere... Applejack is only held in one place.
Arbor Lodge, is a point of interest for me for several reasons. It was a place that we frequently went as part of my advanced science class in junior high. We'd spent hours roaming the grounds and learning about nature first hand. There was very little structure to the class. I don't know how the teacher, Mr Hammerschmidt, ever came up with a grade for us. Our tree climbing abilities? Our ability to not rat him out when he smoked with us around?
Arbor Lodge was a semi-popular make-out spot because of it's off-the-main drag locale and wooded seclusion. It could also be somewhat creepy at night, but in a good way. The same type of fright takes hold like in a good haunted house. You'd hear a twig snap or a strange animal sound, give a quick scream or jump of fright followed by laughter.
While most of the town is paved, there are a few streets that remain brick cobblestone. The grooves can still be seen in some areas. When I lived in town I often wondered why no one ever paved over them. Now coming back to visit, I look forward to driving up and down the few remaining brick roads. Much in the same way smells can transport a person back in to their memories. These brick roads do the same for me. The sound of tires on brick can't be easily replicated or replaced. I'm sure a lot of the people that live along those streets have either lived there all their life or have had the house in their families for as long as the town has been around. There is a lot of history to the roads.
My home town is not a one stop light sorta place. I think we have a dozen or so around the city. The downtown has had an odd life, in my opinion. What seemed busy when I was a child, seemed almost lifeless when I was in high school. Even after high school it seemed rather... lackluster. It's only within the last couple of years that it seems that many of the empty storefronts and now businesses in them again. It's a great thing to see.
But that was enough for pictures for now. I was in Nebraska City for another reason. It was time to head to my Grandparents house.
Here is a link to the beginning of my Flickr Tour of Nebraska City. Please check it out!
I posted this @ 4/11/2006 07:50:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/07/2006
ALL THE WHILE YOU WANT SOMETHING MORE
Today is a good day.
Not that they typically aren't, but... today just seems different.
The morning has gone by fast. After a congratulatory breakfast 'meeting' for our teams two grad assistants, who are now full time employees, there was a round of photos taken of the current team. I'm hoping to get copies of the photos taken. Mainly because I am a narcissitic little monkey. I'm curious if they caught me in some weird mid-word mouth agape pose or if I actually look decent.
By the time I got back to my desk it was already 11. Time flies!
The Administrative Assistant brought in fresh flowers from her garden that she'd used as decoration at the breakfast. Outside it is rainy, gray, and obviously gloomy. Yet, I love the Spring rains, and I'm not so seasonal affective that a day without sunshine wilts me.
So here I sit... smelling daffodils, and thinking of the weather outside. It's Friday. I'm hoping to get out and take some photos this weekend. (Promises... Promises...)
Yet, it just feels... Have you ever been on a rollercoaster? You know that feeling of when the train of cars gets to the top. Even if you aren't in the front, there is that anticipation of speeding down the hill as you see the first car of riders go over. If you are far in the back, you might hear the leaders scream first before you even feel much.
It's like there is something more about to happen and I can't wait!
Re-reading those last couple of paragraphs makes me sound like I'm manic or paranoid schizophrenic. Something's gonna happen, man! I'm telling ya'!
I posted this @ 4/07/2006 10:03:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/06/2006
ATTACK OF THE QUIZZES
Pure Geek
39 % Nerd, 65% Geek, 8% Dork
For The Record:
A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Geek, earning you the title of: Pure Geek.
It's not that you're a school junkie, like the nerd, and you don't really stand out in a crowd, like the dork, you just have some interests that aren't quite mainstream. Perhaps it's anime, perhaps it's computers, perhaps it's bottlecaps, perhaps it's all of those and more. Your interests take you to events and gatherings that are filled with people you find unusual and beyond-the-pale, but you don't quite consider yourself "of that crowd." Instead, you consider yourself to be fairly normal.
1. Yourself: Conflicted 2. Your eyes: Brown 3. Your Hair: Brown 4. Your Mother: Becky 5. Your Father: Jeff 6. Your Favorite Item: Jeep 7. Your Dream Last Night: Weird 8. Your Favorite Drink: Iced-Tea 9. Your Dream Home: Eclectic 10. The Room You Are In: Office 11. Your Pet: Nonexistent 12. Who You Are Now: Me 13. Who You Want to be in Ten Years: Improved 14. What You Want out of life: Happiness 15. What You Are Not: Satisfied 16. Your Best Friend: Mike 17. One of Your Wish List Items: iPod 18. Your Gender: Male 19. The Last Thing You Did: Eat 20. What You Are Wearing: Hotpants 21. Your Favorite Season: Summer 22. Your Favorite feature: Eyes 23. The Last Thing You Ate: Ho-ho 24. Your Life: Mine 25. Your Mood: Agitated
DROP AND GIVE ME 20
1. Name one thing about your life that you are 100% sure of. I love music.
2. Tell me a stupid nickname that someone gave to you that you hated. Big Cris. Though I've never hated it, but I find it amusing that I still occasionally get refered to as such.
3. If not by your first name, what name do you like being called? My last name or Hot Stuff!
4. Quote the first funny movie line that comes to mind. [When asked what her perfect date would be] "That's a tough one. I would have to say April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket. ." --Miss Rhode Island - Miss Congeniality
5. Repeat a famous quote that you love. "It takes a lot of courage to turn out to be the person you really are." -e. e. cummings
6. What kind of old man do you think you will turn out to be? Snarky. Prankster. Caring.
7. Name three things that are completely unrelated but are all evil. Discrimination. Wasabi peas. Celine Dion.
8. Tell me something you saw that prompted a "Oh no she di-int". Wow...It's been a while. I'm not sure right off the top of my head.
9. Make up a definition for the following acronym: SVO. Shirtless Viewing Obstacle. It's when someone stands in your way of block the view of someone you were ogling.
10. Name one thing you do every day that is good for you. Laugh.
11. Name one thing you mean to do for yourself everyday but usually do not. Be a better man.
12. Tell about a nuerotic habit you have. Oh my... Well, let's see.i can be a bit obsessive about making sure my alarm clock is set.
13. If you have $100 right now, what would you buy with it (if it had to be something self-indugent)? Clothes!
14. Give me the Reader's Digest version of the best date you ever had. I had it built up as an awkward moment in my head, but it turned out very relaxed and fun. It was sort of a date where everyone met my boyfriend for the first time.
15. Do you prefer to live alone or with roommates? I wouldn't say I prefer to live alone, but I do enjoy/miss having alone time.
16. Make up a definition for the following acronym: HAPMIS. Helping All People Make Informed Selections
17. If you could get away with it, what crime would you commit? Have you ever seen the Thomas Crown Affair? There was something very seductive about how he pulled it off.
18. Would you ever get plastic surgery? No.
19. What was the last movie you saw and what did you think of it? Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior. I typically love foreign films or martial arts flicks, but this sucks in new ways.
20. Tell me about someone annoying at your work. Blog + Work = Bad Karma
I posted this @ 4/06/2006 11:32:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
STUPID THOUGHT OF THE DAY #28
ME: [debating whether to have my leftovers or get something from the cafeteria] I'm not really hungry for the hot dog I brought, but a corn dog does sound good!
Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people So meet me at the mission at midnight We'll divvy up there
Banditos by The Refreshments
I posted this @ 4/06/2006 09:38:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
4/05/2006
STABBING WESTWARD
Now I've gone and done it...
After a recent inquiry I dug up a bunch of fencing photos I had archived on a CD. To my surprise I also found a video of me fencing. Jay was more than willing to make use of his new electronic toy, if I remember correctly.
Anyway... The photos I've posted on Flickr, the link to which you can find on the right hand side (when you go to look for the link to email me a question).
Here is the video of me fencing. It is a few points from several different bouts I fought the same day. I've the guy in the black pants.
Enjoy!!
I posted this @ 4/05/2006 03:03:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
4/04/2006
CAUSE I'M DEAD AND BLOATED
This post is not for the squeamish and very easily falls into the TMI category. If you don't want to hear about the inner workings of my innards I suggest you email me a question that I can answer this month. Seriously kids! Take a stab at it. :-)
So I was sick... Not your usual "I have a cold" sick. This mussa-fusser meant business. It started off Friday mid-morning at work with a slight headache. I thought I might need some food. I pop into the cafeteria and grab myself a wonderful smelling and tasty meatball hoagie. Yum!
The sandwich seemeds to have cured the headache, but my stomach felt funny. More specifically the area right below my ribs. The area I imagine my diaphragm to be.
Ok here comes the vain part... I was wearing a shirt that was just a tad too small for me around the midsection. But I love the shirt and if I want to button it up then I live in a glorious state of denial when I want to wear it. The buttons weren't popping off, but I was holding in my gut so the vertical stripes wouldn't be as noticeably warped when it came to my pooch. Where's my William Shatner girdle when I need it?!
So... after a while I thought it might be indigestion. Or perhaps even caused by my stupid vanity (I ended up just unbuttoning the top shirt and saying the hell with it).
By the time I got home, my indigestion had me cramping up pretty good. I was in some serious pain. But not constantly. I imagine it was like what contractions would be for a woman. Now, don't get on your pregnancy horse and tell me passing my meatball sub is nothing compared to giving birth. I fully admit it is not even close. And God bless you ladies for going through that... That's craziness!
My self-diagnosis had bumped up my indigestion to an stomach flu. Can you believe I've never been to med school? I watch Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs. That should count for something, shouldn't it?
By dinner time, I was in a fair amount of pain, but it'd only last for a few seconds every half hour or so. I still had an appetite. I was feeling rather cold and it was not cold in the apartment at all. Even by my standards. I'd now upgraded myself to having an ulcer. I was cursing that meatball hoagie.
I didn't sleep much that night. I couldn't get comfortable. Laying on either side seemed to squish areas that didn't like to be squished. Sleeping on my stomach was out of the question. Flat on my back was all I could handle. Which was fine.
By the next morning the pain had shifted. It was now lower in my abdomen and off to my right side. Constipation? A gastro-intestinal blockage? All I could think about was that damned meatball hoagie and the number it had done on me. I know... Me + Med school = Bus missed.
I had to laugh at this point because I was thinking of the scene from an episode of Grey's Anatomy where the guy swallowed ten Judy heads (think Barbie dolls). In what we are lead to believe was because he enjoyed the feeling of... passing... them. Ok-do-we-really-need-further-explanation-on-this?! No. Ok, cool. Moving on!
I'd decided to tough it out. I typically subscribe to the Drink Plenty of Fluids school of thought. I'd been sucking down all the water, cranberry juice, and Mug root beer I could handle. I wasn't feeling any better, but I wasn't feeling any worse.
Now the doctor talk was beginning. If I wasn't feeling any better by Monday I would go to the doctor. And she'd tell me I had constipation or I was simply just having cramps of some kind. What does an appendicitis feel like? Could that be it. My condition was getting progressively worse.
Seriously folks... If you need free medical advice I'm your man! The Doctor is in.
First came over-the-counter remedies. All that was available in the medicine cabinet was Gas-X and Imodium. I've never been one to keep a lot of OTCs on hand, or meds of any kind other than my allergy medication. Those two were from a long past episode and will never be used again. My poor body didn't know what happened after taking them.
I decided to purchase some Milk of Magnesia or Ex-Lax or Colace or something. And now I'm having flashbacks from Girl Interrupted. Remember Brittany Murphy playing Daisy who had an eating disorder. She'd only eat roasted chickens that she'd pick apart and hid under her bed till they stunk, and was addicted to Colace. Niiiiice.
I picked up some Ex-Lax and then went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants in town. El Augila. Kick ass Mexican food. Which I swear wasn't chosen because of any possible side effects.
I took two once I got home and noted that it would take 6 to 12 hours for it to kick in. Looking back on it... Thank goodness it was a weekend. That 6 hour window of mystery really could be problematic if this was an issue that needed to be resolved in a specific time frame.
When 8pm hit I announced that the medication could begin. The Window of Mystery had been opened!! For the next 6 hours I checked the clock too frequently wondering when something... anything... would happen. Nothing really ever did.
It wasn't until some point in the middle of the night that I woke up from a crazy dream which I'll regale you with later. I couldn't go back to sleep. I was most certainly up. My cramping has ceased and there were definite reasons to get up. I'll just leave it at that.
The next morning I felt exhausted. Literally and physically. I hadn't slept. And when I did I was while emulating a Kitchen Aide mixer attacking high thread count sheets. I'd wake all twisted up in them, having burritoed myself somewhat securely.
Monday was a recoop day. I wasn't feel up to snuff yet and decided on a whim to take two more Ex-Lax for good measure. Because... nothing is more fun that feeling like you went three rounds with a prize fighter where every shot was taken in the gut.
Thankfully the worst has passed and I am feeling much better than I did a few days ago. Thanks for asking. On the plus side... nothing beats losing an easy five pounds like a good stomach virus.
I posted this @ 4/04/2006 01:10:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
4/03/2006
AND YOU WERE NOT THE SAME AFTER THAT
Have you ever heard a song and you immediately fell in love with it? You play it again and again until you're sure that even when you sleep you'll still be able to hear the melody running through your head.
When I first heard Ben Fold's Not The Same I had been devouring his latest album at the time. Rockin' The Suburbs kicked ass from the very first song and didn't let up.
When I came to track nine my life changed. Not The Same played right into two of my favorite things about a song. Driving pianos and backing vocals that I could sing along with and feel like I was a part of the magic. Even if it was only in my car on the commute from work. Hearing the live version helped solidify it as a song I would love immortally. A whole audience singing along as if they were always a part of the song.
It didn't take long for me to peck out the song and start to play it. With the help of my keyboard I was able to record various drum, bass and harmonic tracks. Which left me to pound away at the melody and piano accompaniment when I wanted to play it. It was probably the most complete song that I'd ever put together and played by ear. It was the one that I'd show off with when someone wanted to hear me play.
I love being able to play along with the song. I love feeling the bass not just in my ears, but actually rumbling through my chest. I love hearing the chorus of Ben's raise their voices up in support of each new verse. I love the fact that the song admittedly isn't about anything other than a moment in Ben's life. I think it goes without saying, I was not the same after hearing.
I posted this @ 4/03/2006 02:20:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
TURN YOUR BACK ON THE SUN
I'm pretty sure Ben Franklin didn't intend for a majority of the country to be all bewildered and confused for a least a couple of days twice a year just so they could save on candle wax in the 1700s.
While I understand the concept, I'm not sure it is as widely needed anymore.
I don't think I was as affected by it when I worked overnight. Becuase I was typically up at night anyway. I wasn't waking up to find that an hour of my life had been relived or taken away from me. For the past two days I've woke up and wondered why it is still so dark for 6AM before realizing that it is still technically 5am. Nature plays it's own jokes on us with how much sunlight we have. Anywhere from 24 hours to zero hours a day in some places. Have you seen Insomnia with Al Pacino and Robin Williams? That can mess you up!
Then we go an add Time Zones, from the creators of Jet Lag. Which while at least more understandable, are still somewhat annoying.
I understand that there are some states that no longer observe DST. Which is great, but also even more confusing. Becuase if you are traveling and unaware that you are in a state that doesn't observe DST then you've got to take that into account when planning times. Why can't it be an all or nothing thing?
Forget the protection of marriage amendments. This is the real hot button topic!
I posted this @ 4/03/2006 12:14:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
I'm a 30-something student of human nature. A music-lovin', groove-shakin', laugh-inducin', dish-cookin', gossip-slingin', type of guy. This is my diary of sorts...
and a half
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