| 9/29/2006 |
TELL ME WHY I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS
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Sometimes we have too much time on our hands. I'm my own emoticon!!
(more pictures in the set on flickr)
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I posted this @ 9/29/2006 08:06:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/28/2006 |
IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY IT CAN'T BE THAT BAD
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I don't think of myself as an unhappy person. I wouldn't say that I'm always a positive person. But I'm at least upbeat and happy. I've kind of unofficially called myself a rainbow-pissing Carebear. (Insert your own gay joke there.) I like to think I am anyway. It's the image I try and portray. Laid-back. Happy.
I'm human, I can be down and depressed just like anyone else. That's normal. And believe you me, I've been pretty depressed at times in my life. I am typically able to snap myself out of it. It has been more difficult lately, but I have still been able to do it.
Anyway... this is more a comment on being happy, not being sad.
I a former co-worker stopped by other day. She hasn't seen me since January if not before. We talked briefly about how work was going and what each of us had been up to. Later, she mentioned to another co-worker that I looked really happy. "[I] was glowing," she said. That was, perhaps, one of the best compliments I've received in a long time. Thanks Vicki! |
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I posted this @ 9/28/2006 12:53:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/27/2006 |
A LITTLE BIT OF THIS. A LITTLE BIT OF THAT.
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I really don't have a whole lot to talk about right now. Which isn't to say that nothing is going on. Yet, not to mislead you that something is going on.
Life is good.
Work is... ??
My apartment finally feels like home.
Still loving my Jeep.
Not quite ready for the cooler weather.
Work still is... ??
The Family is well.
I will be ambiguous on purpose. Yet I feel like I want to say something at the same time. Saturday was a good day. :-) It's been a while since I caught myself smiling for seemingly no reason. I'm glad that feeling is back. I hope for more days like last Saturday.
The new season of TV programs have started back up again. I'm excited! Yet... well, let me explain it this way. I can only watch so much. There is a certain amount of time available to watch TV. And there is too much I want to watch.
Survivor has started up again. (Angie, email me! I'm curious what you think so far of the latest cast of losers.) Grey's Anatomy is on the same night. The Office is back and the first episode was HILARIOUS! Painfully so. Amazing Race moved to Sunday night.
What else is going on?
Work as I eluded to, is fine. But we are in a holding pattern to really get underway with the 4th year of the study. We should have started three weeks ago. My motivation to get back into the schools has all but completely faded. On top of it, the only remaining original team member is quitting, to work elsewhere. Leaving me as the one with the most seniority. And even I wasn't the original person on the grant.
I've rediscovered Music Choice stations on TV and have been listening to a LOT of Adult Alternative and Alternative (notice the subtle difference). I hope to have a few song recommendations soon.
Did anyone see The Grudge? Now there is a sequel. The commericals all start out the same with someone telling The Grudge 2's lead that her sister is in the hospital. How creepy do circumstances have to be for you to just leave the creepy death house alone? Seriously... Buffy is nice and all. She'll be missed. C'mon. The house made her cuckoo. No need to check that out.
Back to your daily grinds! Drop me a line sometime. I'd love to hear from you. You know who you are.... |
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I posted this @ 9/27/2006 09:32:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/22/2006 |
101 IN 1001... THE REVENGE!!
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I am reposting this for a couple different reason. First of all, I have not forgotten about it. What I have done is forgotten about updating it. Maybe someone reading this will make a 101 in 1001 list of their own. I've only completed 12 so far, which seems like kind of a downer to me. Time to get cracking on the list!!
There are links to any posts in regards to the completed tasks.
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on your part).
Inspiration:
This seems like a good way to set realistic goals and remember some of my hopes and dreams that I'd like to accomplish. They are listed in no specific order. If I complete all 101 in 1001 days, then I hope I am a better man not for having done such a thing, but for what I've learned along the way.
Start Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Deadline: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tasks completed: 12
1- Be a better friend to people in my life. (This started again in July)
2- Go to Europe again now that I am older and able to appreciate the experience
3- Get reacquainted with friends that I've lost touch with. Dave Burman... Sarah Loseke... where are you? (Completed 10/18/2005)
4- Buy a new (to me) car. (And I love it)
5- Pay for someone's meal behind my in the drive thru line.
6- Maintain a job at the place I work. This sounds odd, but technically, my job is finished around September 2007.
7- Join, support, and actually attend an organization, club, or group.
8- Make a charitable donation.
9- Volunteer my time in a charitable way.
10- Save 5 dollars a day for 3 months.
11- Start working out twice a week.
12- Lose 10 pounds to weigh less than 200 pounds again. (I do weigh 200 now.)
13- If I'm going to weigh more than 200 let it be muscle.
14- Stop biting my fingernails for at least two months so that I can...
15- Get a manicure.
16- Get a pedicure while I'm at it.
17- Get a professional massage.
18- Take a photography class.
19- Publish a photo I've taken (besides on my blog).
20- Take a Photo Log of my life for a week.
21- Make a list of my 100 Favorite Songs. (I know I've done this, but I can't find where I posted it at.)
22- Own copies of my 100 Favorite Songs.
23- Make a list of my 100 Favorite Movies.
24- See Natalie Merchant in concert outside the city/state I live.
25- See Ben Folds in concert outside the city/state I live.
26- See Train in concert outside the city/state I live.
27- Complete a gallery of 26 Things.
28- Go to New York City.
29- Go on a cruise.
30- Go to Mardi Gras. I know I could do/see the same things there almost any time of year, but to be able to say I attended Mardi Gras is worth a place on the list.
31- Go on a whale watching trip.
32- Go to a museum that I've never been to before.
33- Go to the top of the Space Needle.
34- Go to Canada.
35- Go to Mexico.
36- Attend the US Open Tennis Grand Slam
37- Join a local tennis club and play more often.
38- Compete in the Cornhusker State Games in tennis.
39- Start classes towards my Masters degree. I'd say complete my Masters, but speaking frankly and realistically I do not see it happening in three years. If it does? Great!
40- Give up apartment life for life in a house.
41- Plant an herb garden. (I've actually already done this.)
42- Make a photo book to give to my friends.
43- Sing "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkle, "Smooth" by Santana, or "Come Fly with Me" by Frank Sinatra, at a karaoke bar.
44- Jog 15 miles a week.
45- Complete a 5K run.
46- Buzz my hair. SHORT! Just to see what it would look like. (It was pretty short. It looked decent. I did it myself...)
47- Eat sushi. Real sushi, not the stuff you find packaged at Super Target. What was I thinking?! (And it wasn't bad. It wasn't good. But it wasn't bad)
48- Take a trip with my brother, just the two of us, to someplace neither of us has been.
49- Attend a Huskers football game at home.
50- Throw a game night party and invite my friends.
51- Take a cooking class.
52- Create my own dish.
53- Cook for someone who doesn't live with me at least once a month for as long as I can.
54- Learn to bartend. Not to be a bartender, but this seems like one of those skills that are fun to know, but not very useful in everyday situations. ONLOOKERS: "Quick! Help her! She's trapped under the car." ME: "I can't move the car, but do you want a mojito?"
55- Take a wine tasting class.
56- Bake a pie.
57- Vote in every election I'm eligible to vote in.
58- Take a trip by train.
59- Take a romantic vacation.
60- Take part in a Mystery Dinner Party
61- Stay in a fancy hotel even if it is for just one night.
62- Order room service.
63- Get a puppy.
64- Sleep outside under the stars.
65- Have something published on McSweeney's
66- Win a contest.
67- Visit 5 states that I've never been to before.
68- Buy a laptop.
69- Watch all the episodes of Inuyasha
70- Be in the audience of a television show.
71- Have a meaningful conversation with my Father.
72- Make a Family Tree.
73- Go to the dentist. (I actually dreaded putting that one on the list)
74- Try a new cuisine of food that I've never had before.
75- Send an angry letter to someone (some place) that has dislocated my chi.
76- Send a positively glowing letter to someone (some place) that I was impressed with. (I've done this a couple of times. Once to Pamie.com. She even wrote back!!)
77- See a midnight movie at the Dundee. (I just remember that I did this with Bryan. We saw Resivoir Dogs)
78- Skinny dip.
79- Try to not eat meat for a week. Just to see if I can.
80- Try to not eat carbs for a week. Just to see if I can.
81- Go a month without drinking soda. (Completed 10/13/05)
82- Build a piece of furniture. (Not from a box at the store)
83- Get a couple bins to use a recycling bin.
84- Try Geocaching
85- Shave off my goatee for a month. (I haven't in almost 8 years.)
86- Get a tattoo.
87- Ski.
88- Actually complete all the video games I own. I own quite a few PS2 games, but I've not solved them all. Why is this important? Closure.
89- Eat at a Hard Rock Cafe.
90- Host a month party, event night, game night, etc...
91- Take vitamins regularly.
92- Send birthday cards to my friends and relatives. Not e-cards.
93- Get recertified in CPR.
94- Read 3 books a year. (I don't read that much now).
95- Write a hand-written letter to someone once a month.
96- Be true to myself. Vague? Trust me. I'll know when I've done this.
97- Give away any old clothes that I no longer wear. (I've started doing this mainly to pare down how much crap I have.)
98- Attend a professional musical.
99- Buy something from an infomercial.
100- Build a snowman.
101- Fly first class.
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I posted this @ 9/22/2006 07:31:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/21/2006 |
A BOY LIKE ME
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I've been told that I have dopplegangers out there. Most recently I spotted 'me' at Giordano's, while visiting Lloyd in Chicago. It was eerie...
I knew that the guitarist from Guano Apes bore a resembelence to me. It wasn't until Ramperto got a hold of some photos and free time that I realized that Henning Rumenapp was my evil twin.
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I posted this @ 9/21/2006 11:43:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/19/2006 |
TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS
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I must have too much time, or something... Because I've been blogging for 3 years. Today is not only my best friend's birthday, but it is also my blogging birthday. When I first started I didn't have much to say. I had a different job. My living arrangements were different. I had more money. I had a different car.
The intention of this blog was to be not only a place to air out my dirty laundry, but to tell the occasional funny or heartwarming or meaningful or enlightening story. Oh... then ramble for a few dozen posts in between each of those stories.
I think I've done a pretty good job of it so far. I don't see things changing anytime soon.
Happy Birthday Blog! |
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I posted this @ 9/19/2006 03:23:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATEY!!!
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 I've known Mike for over 20 years. I've known him long that I've known my little brother and sister. It will occasionally surprise people when I say that my best friend is someone I can remember from the fourth grade.
He has stood by me through thick and thin. (In life experiences and in weight!!) Husband. Father. Best friend. And modest about his excellence in all of them.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!!!
And what a coincidence... It's also Talk Like A Pirate Day!!
Which is perfect!!
If you know both Mike and The Movie (not The Mechanics) then it is a whole other level of funny. |
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I posted this @ 9/19/2006 07:03:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/18/2006 |
I'M A SURVIVOR
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If you haven't seen the latest Survivor yet, you might want to just go ahead and skip down to the next entry. Though, I will try not to spoil things too much if you continue reading.
You've probably heard about all the hoopla with the latest season of Survivor. If not, let me know and I'll help you decorate your cave with contemporary style. You don't even have to watch the show to understand the lunacy in this latest scheme to attract viewers.
What's the hook? Race! Twenty people are divided into 4 teams based on race. Which sounds a lot more inflammatory than it turned out to be. We have Caucasian, Latino, African-American, and Asian teams. In the very beginning there is a lot of hustling around as contestants scramble for supplies aboard a ship, jump overboard and make their way ashore.
The 'confessional' interviews begin. Some of players talk about the group division. Obviously they've been asked a 'leading' question by whoever is filming them at the time. There is a lot of generic answers about how it's intersting and a great social experiment, which smacks of prepping on the producers part. When was the last time you even said the words "social experiment" as part of a serious sentence?
Each season there are definite characters. It's fun to pick out which people are going to be the ones to rock the boat. Whoever squaks the loudest first usually will be sent home first. This season is no different.
I won't give you a break down of how the episode plays out. But I do want to mention a couple notable things. First, I don't see race playing an issue in the game at all. Like any other season, when you group contestants together they form a bond that can carry them to the end of the game if they play it right and stick by each other. It wouldn't matter if you grouped them by age (last season), gender (a few seasons ago), or race. So to hypothesize that if any of the groups decides to stick together, doesn't mean that they are doing so solely on race.
Secondly, one of the contestant noticed, and rightly so, that as a member of the Asian team even they aren't that unified by anything in particular. They are comprised of Korean, Phillipino, and Vietnam-decent players. So there isn't really 'unity' amongst one team other than they are "Asian". There is such lumping going on that it's insulting in a way. I don't think it was malicious. I just don't think anyone gave it any thought, which takes me back to insulting.
It is too early for me to pick any favorites or people that I think are going to be winners. I can only think of one or two occasions where the person that was the most fit to win actually did. I don't mean personal preference. I mean the person that played the best overall game and didn't get blind-sided or back-stabbed. Usually the physically weak vote out the physically strong. Then it turns 'dramatic' as the mentally fit pull ahead and start making their little puppets dance.
Yes... I know... I could be thinking about world politics or solve some major issue. But this is so damned entertaining. How did Stephen Colbert refer to reality television viewers and creators? "Welcome godless sodomites!!!" |
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I posted this @ 9/18/2006 12:11:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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I'M WALKING ON SUNSHINE.... WHOOOAAA!!!
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I was reminded of a movie that I didn't mention, by two people; Lloyd, who highly recommended the movie to me, Jay, who I blackmailed into seeing the movie with me.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - I love this movie. This is exactly the type of dark comedy that I really enjoy. The laughs are there, but they come in the form of everyday situations and everyday people who manage to talk themselves into doing humorous situations. We've all been there at some point, I'm sure. If you have never said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time," then this movie isn't for you.
LMS follow Olive, a beauty pagent wanna-be, and her family as they travel to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, CA. Along for the ride are Dad (the failed motivational speaker), Mom (the glue trying to keep it together), Dwayne, (the Neitzche follower who's taken a vow of silence to show his dedication to the military, Frank (Mom, Sheryl's brother who recently attempted suicide), and finally Grandpa, (the snarky old fart who is acting as Olive's dance coach).
What really struck me about this movie was that the comedy almost plays out backwards. Almost... The absurdity hits you right away in the movie and you're forced to just deal with they quirks of each of these people. As the movie goes on then you come to know and feel for them.
There is some serious subtext about the shallowness of beauty and pagentry. Body image. Self-esteem. Overcoming personal tragedy. By the end it's easier to see them as your extended family. It's easier to look at your family and see that there is comedy everywhere.
I will definitely buy this movie!! |
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I posted this @ 9/18/2006 09:15:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/14/2006 |
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
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Since Labor Day has passed, school has started up again, and the days are getting noticeable shorter... It seems like a good time to talk about movies that I watched this summer.
Devil Wears Prada - I enjoyed this movie for the same reason I secretly enjoy watching What Not To Wear. I know nothing about fasion. But I can tell what is funny... and this movie IS funny. If Meryl Streep doesn't get some sort of award nod or acknowledgement for her role as Miranda Priestly, then someone is getting robbed. She's that good.
I am a little disappointed to see Anne Hathaway in, what I would consider, another Pauper to Princess role. After her stint in The Princess Diaries then to Brokeback Mountain, I hoped she'd turned a corner into more mature roles. This seems like a stpe backwards for her. Which isn't to mean, she isn't good in the movie. Just that as an actress, she's risking being typecast.
I probably wouldn't buy it for myself, but it is definitely on my Wish List.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Now if you aren't familiar with this movie already, some of this might be spoilers. But honestly, it's one of the top grossing movies of all time. If you haven't heard or seen anything about it by now... Well, I hope you're comfy under your rock.
The movie has a darker feel to it than the first one. It doesn't seem as light hearted. Which is fine as long as you know that going in to it. Because if you're hoping for a laugh-riot, then you might be disappointed. There is a LOT of plot development going on. Which are all leading up to a third PotC movie. But let's just stick with this movie for now. The movie is long and it feels like it towards the end. But you can't leave to pee because you'll miss something important. So you sit there in the theater hoping your bladder doesn't rupture.
I will definitely buy this movie. But I'll probably wait till all three are out and get a box set. You know they're going to do that.
The Descent - LLoyd and I saw this on one of my Chicago visits. First of all, I'm not a huge horror maven. They're fun, but they are fun in groups. I don't need to watch them by myself to freak myself out. This movie will do that. The movie is over half over before you even get a good look at any creature. The movie is very claustrophobic. Even for me, I was sitting there watching it and feeling a little enclosed.
The theater was packed and, like I said, that is the way horror movies should be watched. The group fear that spreads is amazing. Someone jumps and you jump. Someone may laugh to break the tension and suddenly everyone feels a little better. Trust me. You'll be jumping. There were some definite clutch on to someone moments.
I won't be buying this. Not that it's bad. I just don't need to sleep with the lights on.
Sin City - This isn't a new movie, but I finally DID see this movie. I thought it was excellent. The DVD had two main options on how to watch the movie. You can either see each chapter told seperately or see the movie as a whole (plus some bonus features like seeing it all in fast forward in ten minutes with the green screen.)
We watched the seperated version. While it was good, I definitely think it would be even better all mixed together. The only person I had a problem with in the movie was Alexis Bledel as innocent little backstabbing Becky. I didn't buy that she was a hooker. Her cute and innocent routine may work on Gilmore Girls, but she looked out of place in this movie.
I'm looking forward to the sequel(s).
I keep thinking I'm forgetting a movie. If I am, I'll come back and add it later. |
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I posted this @ 9/14/2006 11:41:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/11/2006 |
STUCK IN A MOMENT
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Today is obviously a day of rememberence of those who died in the World Trade Center attacks as well as the attack on the Pentagon, and Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. This is what I remember.
I was working overnights at the The Hotline. The morning shift was slowly trickling in. Some of them were talking about a plane crash, but they didn't know too many details by this point.
"A plane crashed into the World Trade Center," someone said. A co-worker asked where the WTC was even located.
"Chicago, I think," I responded and laugh a little bit at my geographic ignorance. I didn't konw for sure then. Now everyone knows where the World Trade Center once stood.
A I got in my Jeep to drive home the normally jovially crude DJ's that I listen to were fielding calls from listeners about what was happening. In the short time that I walked to my car, another plane had crashed into the World Trade Center twin towers. Although, according to reports the DJ's were getting they weren't sure if it was just duplicate reports of the same 'accident'. No one knew for sure if it was a terrorist attack yet.
I went home and immediately turned on the TV. Any channel, really... Every channel that wasn't a kids station was showing some kind of coverage it seemed. I couldn't take my eyes of the screen.
Footage of the crash.
To say that I was stunned is an understatment. Shock. Awe. Horror. Fascination. What in the world was going on? What was going on in The World? I am surprised I watched. I'm not a tragedy maven that I have to see things like that. Yet... how could you 'not' watch?
Footage of President Bush being informed about the attacks was starting to come in. The look on his face... It was one that I would describe as shock and dread. Not too mention he's sitting in a room full of school children. How DO you react?
I had been awake for far too long by this point. I needed sleep. What would the world be like when I woke up? Would we be at war? Would other targets be hit?
I said a silent prayer (something I rarely do).
Waking up was a surreal experience. I turned on the TV to find coverage still going strong. "Terror attacks" was the term being used now. The Pentagon had also been hit. A flight had gone down in Pennsylvania. Towers 1 & 2 had fallen. Others were close behind. President Bush was here and gone from Omaha while I slept.
Footage of the collapse. People hanging out of window. Some jumping or falling.
My thoughts returned to work... We took calls for a crisis line out of New York City. I wondered what work was going to be like that night.
The same footage being shown over and over. How many times were we going to see it? How many times was I going to sit there and watch it?
I had a call from my Grandmother suggesting that I go get gas before the prices sky rocketed. I needed to anyway. The gas stations all had huge lines. Everyone had the same idea that if it had anything to do with the Middle East that gas would jump in price. What was considered 'high' five years ago is 'low' now. I also withdrew some money from the ATM. Yes, I was one of 'those' people. It seemed like the thing to do.
I returned home and continued to watch broadcasts on various stations. Flipping channels, each one seemed to show the same clips. For a while, nothing new was really being said. Images of dust covered people were starting to make their way into the video collage of planes crashes and tower collapses.
It was a tragically historic moment.
Once at work that night, I expected a huge influx of calls. People worried about loved ones. People who had lost loved ones. General conversations about what had happened. We got those... but not nearly to the extent I thought we would. We were now taking all the calls for the line out of New York City. (No surprise.) What dumbfounded me was what the majority of callers from NYC were discussing. Sure, there was the occasional topical call. For the most part our NYC callers were complaining about how long it took for them to reach us. (New York phone networks in the state they were in.) Complaints about mundane daily things. Garbage disposal not working. Problems with a neighbor over an argument. One gentleman had recieved his mail yet and was sure it was because the postman didn't like him.
I was close to losing it. Are you kidding me?! Have you looked out your window? Did you get a moment to turn on the TV or a radio at all yet today? Some of these folks had slept through the day, like I had, but for other reasons. Many were blissfully unaware that anything had even happened. I must say, there is bliss in ignorance. Yet, I add that I would rather know.
The next few days seemed to all blur together. News programs would occasionally have new information about the attacks. Mainly, they rehashed the same stories and spoke with every and any political advisor that would sit still long enough to be on camera.
Timelines were constructed. Renderings of the Towers' collapsing were done.
I didn't remember were the World Trade Center was then. I remember now. |
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I posted this @ 9/11/2006 12:49:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/08/2006 |
HOW TO SAVE A LIFE
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My last post about my job at The Hotline was a little deeper and heavier than I intended it. Not that it wasn't true or a good release on my behalf. I started out writing with the intention of the story being a bit more jovial. You can see how it turned out. This one, I promise, will be a more light-hearted.
Does anyone remember the movie Mixed Nuts? It starred Steve Martin as a crisis line counselor working on Christmas. The movie boasts that Christmas was one of the crazier nights to work. Having worked on or around Christmas, I can attest that this is not completely accurate.
What? A movie that's inaccurate?!? Holy cow!
Traditionally, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve were pretty low key. It was the fallout from after these holidays that was busy. Even the people that are truly lonely and alone take a break on the holidays. Some of them would spend time with families and it was the breaking point of family-time that we'd get a call. Just when you thought The Holiday Trifecta had passed, Valentine's Day come around to clean up any stragglers.
In the movie, there are a lot of colorful characters that work at the crisis line as well as calling the crisis line. This part IS accurate. It takes a special kind of person to talk to other people about their problems.
One such person I worked with I'm going to call Redd. He had a southern drawl that would intensify when he was flustered. He'd lived in Nebraska for quite some time, but still retained his accent. He drew you in with his accent. He could say almost anything to a caller and because of his sweet southern accent, every word dripped with honey. It was quite charming, as was Redd. He had plenty of stories from his life that while sad somehow managed to also be funny. Which makes for a pretty good story. The overnights could be very slow. Redd was down on his luck and was doing all sorts of things to make money. He would occasionally fall asleep, but easily woke at the sound of the phone ringing. No time was quite as funny as when he decided that he was going to sleep on his break. Already sitting in an empty call room he somehow managed to squeeze himself onto one of the desk and went to sleep. If you've ever seen, worked, or lived in a cube farm desk you know the type of desk I speak off. Redd was not a small many in any sense of the word, to be curled up fetally on a desk. Unfortunately for Redd, he forgot to sign off his phone. So it was a good twenty minutes before he was woke by his phone ringing. We knew he heard it because in the other call room (where the rest of the night shift was sitting) we are alerted to his awake state by a loud bang and what sounded like a sack of potatoes falling off a shelf.
The phone woke him up alright. Woke him up and he fell right off the desk.
Now some may think... How can he get away with sleeping on the job? Technically he was on his break. And while probably not the smartest idea, sleeping on top of the desk wasn't the most bizarre thing to occur.
Another colorful character was Chuck. Chuck was a well intentioned man. He had a big heart. A heart so big that it actually had a hole in it and he wasn't getting the right bloodflow/oxygenation that he needed. What is unusual about this is that, you would never guess he had a heart condition by looking at him. Chuck was a very hyper man. VERY hyperactive man... if it would've been possible for him to take two calls at once he would do it. We often joked that we would get him a hamster wheel to run in and burn off some idle energy, while on a call. When Chuck's heart was repaired we expected a more sedated employee. Fools, we were. Now he had even MORE blood and oxygen pumping.
Chuck's "claim to fame" was having talked someone into having suicidal thoughts on an third party information call. Let me explain. He did not tell them to kill themselves. He did not encourage any dangerous behavior. As a call center, we would occasionally take calls for other various information-based agencies. This was a caller to one such agency. She did have some serious issues, but in the end all was well. She got both the informational and mental help she needed.
One of my favorite characters was Katie. She was a clown. No, seriously. She was a certified card-carrying clown. With a registered clown name and everything... I'm not sure how one goes about getting certified as a clown, but she was.
On Halloween it was common for parents who worked at The Hotline to bring in their younger children for desk-to-desk trick-or-treating. It was on this day that Katie would dress up in her clown outfit. Full regalia. Oversized shoes. Make up. Frizzy wig. Colorful mismatched patchwork prints on both her blouse and pants.
Have you already jumped ahead visually where Katie is also answering calls while dressed as a clown? Take a few moments to get there mentally. I'll wait.
Ok... are you there?
As Dribbles The Wonder Clown (or whatever the heck her name was) answered calls, it wasn't uncommon for the occasionally caller to be suicidal. I often wondered if it would help or hurt the caller to know that the person they were spilling their deepest emotions too was dressed like a Big Top attraction.
All these people are great. Don't think for one moment that I hold any ill-will towards them and that's why I write about them. There are just some people that seemed like the stepped right off the silver screen with Steve Martin and Mixed Nuts. How can you not enjoy them!? |
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I posted this @ 9/08/2006 10:43:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY
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What's that? Oh why yes it IS my birthday?
How sweet! Thank you. But, you didn't have to.
32.
No really. I'm 32.
Ok... now you're just saying that.
Birthdays are fun. They are meant to be an occasion. Hell, I'd have a birthday everyday if it meant getting to see all of you more often.
Who me? Shameless? Oh I suppose I am a little...
Because of this I got this lovely Hula Monkey from my co-workers. I'm so easy to shop for. :-)
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I posted this @ 9/08/2006 02:06:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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| 9/06/2006 |
IS THERE SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND
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My Personality
| | Neuroticism | | Extraversion | | Openness To Experience | | Agreeableness | | Conscientiousness | |
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I posted this @ 9/06/2006 05:42:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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LEAVING ON A JET PLANE
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So I was in Chicago for Labor Day weekend (for those of you who didn't know). I flew there (if you hadn't figured that out from the title). I am not the best flyer. For me, flying is like hot dogs. The less I know about what goes into a hot dog the more willing I am to enjoy them. Same thing with flying. The less I know about how a plane works and what keeps a several-ton hunk of metal hurtling through the air at several hundred miles an hour... the more willing I am to fly. Most times I'm ok with flying. Most times I can just zone out whatever is going on and I'm fine. It's when the plane decides to shake me like a fresh glow stick that I get, shall we say, ancy?
The flight to Chicago was very smooth! Great weather leaving Omaha. Great weather arriving in Chicago. Smooth flight. Couldn't have asked for better trip. Coming back was a different story. I have been fortunate the last few times I've flown that I had a window sit. I don't have a window/aisle preference. I just prefer to not sit in the middle of two other people. My middle seat assignment should have been clue number one about the ride I was in for.
I sat there on the plane with a lot on my mind and wondered what the chances would be that I actually get an empty seat on either side of me, let alone on BOTH sides of me. A whole ROW to myself? Unheard of! A couple approached, eyeing my row. She was a waif of a girl in her mid 20s. A skinny little thing that could use a sandwich (seriously... somewhere Lindsay Lohan is calling up Nicole Richie and talking jealous of this girls waistline), who showed off her figure with baby doll T-shirt and shorts. But because she might get cold she carried a heavy fleece zip-up sweat shirt. Apparently there is no such thing as compromise in her fashion world.
Her travelling companion was an older gentleman in what I guessed to be his late 40s/early 50s. Casually dressed in shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. Was it her father or some other relative? Was I about to be meat and cheese in the middle of what might be a May?December sandwich? Jesus... please no. She has to be his daughter.
I stood up politely to let (oh let's call him) Chuck have his window seat. Amy (she looked like an Amy) took the aisle. I asked if she wanted to trade me seats since they were travelling together. She scoffed and declined my offer. Chuck chimed in, "Nah... she's put up with me all weekend. I'm sure she's sick of me by now." Amy agreed jokingly (?) as we all took our assigned seats.
We hadn't been in our seats for more than 5 minutes before Chuck shanghais my air vent. Three seats. Three air vents. Do the math people. I let it go at first, but then moved it back on me when I felt stuffy a few moments later. He apologized and made some joke about being really hot on the airplane. Well, guess what... you're not the only one. That's why there is a vent for EACH of us.
All passengers were now on board and the flight attends were making their rounds. As the flight attendant approached the emergency exit row he confirmed that the people in the row knew they were sitting in an exit row and may be asked to assist in an emergency. The first row he asked, no one spoke English. No one knew what he was saying. They were moved. The second row contained two elderly Indian women who would need assistance opening a soda can, let alone an airplane hatch. They were moved. The other two rows were fine. I was glad after the seat switching to know that in case Chuck decided to lit up a cigarette and take us all down that someone would know how to open to doors to let out the smoke.
This plane had their safety instructions on video, which freed the flight attendants to walk around fetching pillows and answering passenger requests. The instructional video cracks me up. They are SO calm. I knew they 'have' to be to potray how calm they'd like you to be in an emergency. But the level of emotion that the mother with her child displays as she is securing her air mask and then her daughters is bordering on comatose. If it wasn't for her fluid movements, I might have guessed she was animatronic.
The pilot came over the speaker to tell us about our flight. One hour, one minute in the air. Should be a smooth flight. A few bumps getting to our cruising altitude of a gazillion feet, but smooth sailing after that point. His Australian accent was calming. I was reminded of the Crocdile Hunter. Too soon. It's a shame. The Crocdile Pilot explains that once in the air the FA's will start beverage and snack service. He told us the current weather in Omaha and signed off.
Not 5 minutes later the head flight attendant gets on the speaker to announce that beverage service may not happen because of the amount of turbulance that we will most likely be experiencing. At which time flight attendants will have their asses safely planted and strapped into their own seats. Screw pretzles and sodas for the commoners. Ok, maybe that last part she didn't say, but everything else she did. She was sounding VERY certain that no one would be getting up. We ALL would want to be strapped in securely for at least one hour and one minute of turbulant travel.
Lovely...
The flight takes off, there are a few 'normal' bumps. But then they few normal bumps continued. It was the 'bump' that felt like we dropped and my stomach jumped up in my throat because of downward movement. I'm gripping on my legs pretty tightly, eyes closed, saying Christmas prayers all the way. Where's a rum and coke with a Xanax chaser when you need one? I figured when the flight attendants got up to serve us snakcs that the worst must be over. And for the most part it was. Just a few more bumps here and there, but enough to keep my palms sweating through most of the flight.
Now... during this time of take off, while Amy figured gum was the best way to get her ears to pop, Chuck settled on snorting. In a move that seemed similar to an inward 'farmer blow' he would suck air into through his nose. Even over my loud iPod I could hear him snorggle in an attempt to equalize the pressure in his head. Chuck had three settings. Look intently out the window at the evening darkness below. Raise his hands above his head (exposing unSure armpits in a cramped cabin). Fiddle with the headphone volume jack located on my right armrest. Oh wait... FOUR. Snorggle. Chuck was quickly becoming the worst parts of every shop teacher, seedy mechanic, and weekday bar patron.
Look out the window. Snorrgle. Raise his arms. Fiddle with his headphones. Snorggle. Look out the window.
Hate.
He did make one more attempt to steal the air vent again, but remember that he is not King of Row 18.
When the beverage cart came by Chuck ordered a lite beer. Surprised?
He made every attempt to savor it, but with such a short flight and being in the part of the plane that got served last, he wasn't allowed much time to finish it. I had to chug my soda and even then I was finishing it as I handed it to the flight attendant.
Snorggle. Look out the window.
Seriously, what does he see? It's pitch black and we are high enough over the midwest that there isn't a whole lot of city lights to illuminate the ground below.
Finally the flight was over and I couldn't have been happier to get away from Chuck. Feh!
Next time I'm volunteering to take the exit aisle. Move over Indian Grandma, Cris wants leg room and a window seat.
But that was just the flight the weekend itself was nice. A very relaxing weekend for the most part. Lloyd caught me up on movies that I'd been negligent in seeing. The Big Lebowski (even though TBS showed it every weekend for a while there), Sin City, and Auntie Mame. I know... I'm a bad gay. I'd never seen Auntie Mame. And to only know it because of Lucille Ball. I thought Lloyd was going to pass out.
I was excited because on my way to Chicago I made it down town via Blue Line on my own. Which, to anyone from a city that has a mass transit system that actually gets used (unlike Omaha). It's a big deal for me. I actually knew where I was going. I secretly enjoy riding the El. Does that make me sick in the head?
Movies. Cooking. A few live 'concerts' of Guitar Hero. Lunch at The Heartland with new people. Even the Heartland I was surprised by. Not being a big 'health' conscious person I couldn't live a vegetarian lifestyle even if I tried. Luckily this place wasn't like other such restaurants that I was thinking off. Organic didn't mean fake meats and cheeses. While the tofu was plentiful, there was acutally plenty to choose from for the carnivore in me. Yay! A meat-eating Cris is a happy Cris.
I've been to Chicago a few times now and I haven't taken any photos once. Which I'm a little saddened by when I get home, but I figure I enjoyed living and seeing Chicago on the other side of the camera. And that is something that I will remember for a long time.
There are several version of Leaving On A Jet Plane. I'm partial to Chantel Kreviazuk's.
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go |
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I posted this @ 9/06/2006 03:05:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
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