17 has turned 35

Well, 34 for now, but whatever.


When I was in college eons ago, one year every Friday was tomato soup and grilled cheese day in the cafeteria. Lacking money and homecooked meals on cold days, I looked forward to this event all week. Also, I didn't have any classes after lunch. Enjoying some tomato soup just now, I realized that it has indeed turned very cool outside and I'm also still lacking money and homecooked meals most days. See how the world's all one big circle. Stupid world.


Other than that, well, a lot...but not much. I've been busy at work for the first time in ages. After running from every sort of responsibility you can imagine for the past forever, I'm now officially a Boss. Wheee! It's no different other than now when I'm loud and opinionated, some people have to listen to me. Awesome. But, it gives me something to focus on at work other than which 90s alt. band is my favourite or which songs from the 80s that I absolutely could not live without or what I'm going to make for dinner and will it involve drinking some beer or should dinner time be pushed back to accomodate said drinking or "I can't believe it's only damn Tuesday"....Well, you get the idea.


I prepped my house for the cold weather yesterday, which basically means I just shut the storm windows. Now, I need to buy 2 heaters for the living room. I was planning this 3 weeks ago, but it was warm and they still had fans out in the store. So, being the Super Genius that I am, I forgot about it. Until it was 29 this morning. I guess I thought that if in the middle of October it's 85 degrees then naturally winter just isn't coming.


We were tailgating at a football game the other week and rode in my friend's SUV. He has a kid so naturally his car has a DVD player in the back. I wanted to watch a movie but all he had was "James and the Giant Pickle" which despite its pornish name is a kid's movie. As we're pulling out of the parking lot saying our goodbyes to all our tailgating BFFs, I may or may not have leaned out of the back window to offer this girl a ride along with the chance for her to see J (me) and the Giant Pickle. I'm not sure why she didn't get in with us....She must be gay.


Well, that's it from my corner of the cube...I'm sure somewhere here there's someone that needs to be told what to do.

Give me oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year

Behold the majesty of the rolling cooler. It was marketed as a "beach cooler." Let me just tell you how big a pile of horseshit that is. It plows sand better than it rolls, but that couldhave been from the 2 cases of beer and 20 lbs of ice in it. Whatever. False advertising I say.

remnants before sundown

Where we spent most of our days

We drove out on the beach right behind the Cape Hatteras light house.

I tried to get some pictures of the bait fish that were swimming right behind the breakers that made the water look literally like it was boiling, but they didn't turn out. The dolphin pictures are too far away, too. But, they were there dammit!!

There's also a picture of a woman from Denmark that I had to help pull out of the surf because she got a cramp apparently in her leg. It didn't turn out that well either. I think my buddy was laughing too hard to take it. I'm saying an apparent cramp because she spoke NO English at all but kept rubbing at the back of her leg. They were very appreciative though of my concern and didn't seem to mind that I smelled like beer and fish. So, score 1 point for Denmark.

It was only a week's vacation, but surprisingly unlike most vacations I've been on, the good feelings seem to be lasting a little longer this time around. We're already talking about where we want to go next year. I can't wait for the next trip somewhere!

A life lived without shoes is a good one

Here are a few pics from the Big Vacay. I'm waiting on my sets to come back, but I snagged these from everyone else.

We got to the beach on Saturday afternoon and tossed the bags in the door and headed for the beach immediately. Several beers later, we were priviliged enough to watch the mostly full moon rise over the water.

Then, the mosquitoes came out. Yeah. That's right. Mosquitoes at the beach. I've never seen it in all my life. They were so thick that you couldn't really go out after dark. Even in 30 mph + winds. Apparently, they like the coast since the Great Dismal Swamp (no joke) burnt up a few weeks ago.

Sunday...let the fishing begin!!

Squid is better as calamari.

Look at that rod, would ya? (that's what she said)

This picture isn't photoshopped. The pier really is warped and crooked like that from storms. Yet, it's amazingly sturdy. And, by Wednesday (?), very windy....

I'm propping my beer up and trying to keep it from blowing into the water.

This is Dylan, my friend's dog. He LOVED the beach. We're not posing here, however. I'm sitting on him to keep him from rushing out into the water after his owner. M was out too far for the dog to keep up with him and the surf was really rough. That ridge behind me appeared overnight. The whole beach was that high the day before. So, yeah, I got to dog-sit...and it took two of us to hold him back That can hugger in my hand? Best. Three. Bucks. Ever. EVER. You put the can down in it, and it has a lid. A lid!!!!!!!! Not only does it keep the sand and stuff out of your beer, but it also looks conspicuously like a travel coffee cup. Best 3 bucks I've ever spent.

We caught a good many fish every day, but didn't keep any. It wasn't worth the trouble of getting them back home. Besides, there was plenty of shrimp and chicken and steaks at the house waiting on us. I can't remember a week where I felt so good. I can't wait to go back next year.

Hopefully I'll have some more pictures by the end of the week

OCD 2, me 0

I'm a pretty laid-back kind of guy. I try not to really give a damn about much of anything. But, there are some things that really get me fired up. Especially simple things that should remain so. We've probably discussed this before, but just go along with me, huh? I like things to be in order, neat, arranged, where they belong. I dislike random messes. Stacked books, papers, etc. are fine...as long as there's some semblance of order to them. Yeah, I know. Anyway.....


When I moved in to my place last year, the kitchen ceiling needed fixing and the porch wanted painting. I told them and they said something like blah blah blah. So, I let it go. I mean, it doesn't really affect me and after about a month or so of constantly looking at it and cursing everything around me, I got over it. Mostly. Well, this year when my lease came due and I hesitantly resigned it, I noticed that they were raising my rent $25 a month. Hey, that's not that bad, but still...I've never been late, no improvements have been made at all, and I'm getting ready to enter the Arctic season. So, along with the lease I sent a letter saying that I didn't mind paying the rent, but I want something for my money. I want the porch painted, the ceiling fixed, and a few other little things. That was a month ago. I figured they just blew me off and laughed at my futile efforts while cashing my checks. Imagine my surprise when I came home the other day and found both things done.


Now, when I came home last weekend, I was on my way back out the door for the weekend to see Jimmy Buffett (AWESOME) and a ballgame (also a lot of fun). I came in to find the kitchen light on and some of the stuff from the top of my fridge on the counter. "Holy Shit! I've been robbed", I thought. But, then I thought "why would they move the stuff from my fridge if they were robbing me? And, if they were robbing me, why wouldn't they take my vintage Dukes of Hazzard lunch box including thermos?" I know, right? That's totally worth some big bucks. Well, at least $50. So, I started looking around. All of the pictures had been moved on the wall. All of the pitchers on the top of my cabinet had been moved. The dishes on the shelf of the cabinet had been moved. My sink mats had been moved. I almost passed out. I was due to leave in 30 mins. There's no way I could shower and fix all that stuff in 30 mins!!!! There's also NO way I could leave it like that til I was back home Sunday night. I'd never be able to relax at all. So, I set to straightening everything and wiping up the best part of the plaster dust and all that until the kitchen was almost back to normal. I left the actual scrubbing of everything until Monday. As long as everything was back in its place when I walked in Sunday night, I knew I'd be ok. I left the house an hour later. Crisis averted.


When OCD strikes its second blow

Also over the weekend, I watched "Southland Tales." It's not a bad movie. I think I would really enjoy it if I watched it again. It was fairly interesting and more than a little confusing at times. I watched some of the extra stuff after the movie (which I usually don't do because I don't like to hear people prattle on and on and on and on) looking for a little more, a little explanation, or something. Turns out it was supposed to be a comedy. Hmph! Well, I did laugh at some things and there were a few clever references in it, but just having comedic actors playing somewhat serious roles does not a comedy make. But, whatever. If they thought it was funny, it's their time and money invested in it, so who am I to say? Maybe I'm not smart enough to get it. It wouldn't be the first time. But, anyway, the thing that drove me nuts about it??? They took part of T.S. Eliot's "Hollow Men" as a refrain for the movie. Except they changed it. Grrrrr. Instead of "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper," they said "This is the way the world ends, not with a whimper, but a bang." I understand what they were doing, what with the movie and the plot and all that........but still. Still. Hmph. I don't know. I thought I'd get over it, but it's been bugging me all week. Now it's out there. It can bug you now. Or not. I don't care because I got it off of my chest finally.

And Comcast still hasn't responded about the damn channel volume level differences. Asses.

Off to tailgate at the University in the rain tomorrow! Rock on!

Product Review, Part the Something

Say you're at the store and you're on a budget. You live alone and like to cook, but most days cooking a really good meal for one person is a big pain in the ass. You like meals that have a little of everything and consist of more than just opening a can. You grew up eating tv dinners and when you walk by them in the freezer aisle, you get a little nostalgic. Except you're nostalgic for being a kid and sitting in front of the tv on a Friday watching the Dukes of Hazzard, but whatever. Then, all of a sudden, you see it. The Hungry Man Dinners....on sale for $2 ea. They're apparently usually $4. I'll get to that in a minute.

So, now you're sitting at home. You got home a little later this evening and it's perfectly cloudy and cool outside so you sit on the porch and drink some beers. 6 later, and you're hungry, but you realize it's now 6:30. Well, hell. That's not time enough to thaw some meat and prepare a real meal. But, wait!!! What's that in the freezer?

Why, it's a Mexican Fiesta! Well, colour me happy! It even has some type of pudding dessert with it. Holy shit! Fire up that microwave, here I come!

If I just described ANY of your thought processes, please stop before you get to the meal in the picture. You'll thank me later.

I'm afraid to exhale heavily today.

This is vaguely creepy

This article about Comcast monitoring the internet for people bitching about Comcast and then responding to said complaints (albeit helpfully) kinda creeps me out a bit.

That being said, I have Comcast cable and am wearing out the mute button on my remote. TBS and USA and sometimes TNT are broadcast at a lower volume than the rest of the stations, so I have to turn the tv way up to hear it (especially over the Stomp Olympics Qualifying upstairs). Then, when the commercials come on, there are, without fail, 2 in a row at some point in the break that blare out at a volume reminiscent of the old Maxell tape commercial with the guy in the chair being blown away by the sound.

I'm either gonna need a new remote, or someone at the local Comcast office needs to learn to operate the sound board a little better. I wonder if Comcast will notice this email...about Comcast.

By the way, I do like the turtle commercials.

This ain't Sesame Street.

I have birds in my chimney. They must’ve built a nest in there over the summer and now the eggs are hatching. They’ve been raising hell for the past couple of days. I didn’t think much about it because I’m not planning on burning it this winter and I figured they’d get out on their own soon. Until last night. I was sitting on the couch and heard a tink-tink-tink noise….there was one on my fireplace screen. I almost shit myself. I stood staring at it in amazement for a little bit until I realized that I needed to catch it before it got outside of the screen and into the living room causing me to flail about wildly and knock things over either trying to catch it or trying to get away from it. Finally, I went to the kitchen and got a pot and a lid and went back to corral it into the pot. I eventually got it in there and then took it outside and tossed it free. You know, fighting off spiders in the house is one thing. Birds are a whole different story.