That was a loooooong week of work. I went in early or stayed late nearly every day. And yet, it wasn't nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be. I'd heard horror stories of working multiple weekends in December and having to stay til the wee hours of the night trying to get people's donations in before the new year. It really wasn't that bad. Bust your ass for about 4 days, and that was it. Nothing to get all worked up about. In fact, I went in at 6 this morning and had just about everything done by kickoff of the Beavers game (more on this later) and was able to watch the whole game and still get out of work at 5 pm! Can't argue with that. And, I probably won't have to work tomorrow, which is fantastic!
Ok, back to the Beavs game.....absolutely amazing. I don't think I've ever seen a game that left me with a better feeling when it was over, with the exception of maybe the Civil War in 1998. Given all that has gone on this year, with people (including me for a few days after the Boise St. game) giving this team up for dead and piling on the coach and the quarterback, to beating USC and hanging on in the Civil War, to come from behind and win this game by going for two at the very end.....just awesome. The post game show was just caller after caller talking about how lucky the Beavs are to have Riley as a coach, how great a guy he is, and to see Matt Moore able to lift the MVP trophy over his head.....I really felt just so great for those two guys in particular. They've had an entire fan base boo them and basically tell them they aren't worth a damn, and to come out with everyone singing their praises....it has to be especially sweet for those guys. Congrats to the entire team....I truly am proud to call myself an OSU grad today.
In other news, my wife finally returns on Monday. I'd like to tell you all that I kept the house in order, made myself healthy meals every night and exercised regularly. I'd LIKE to tell you that, but if I did, I'd be lying. Truth is, I pretty much fell apart. I don't like to admit that I rely on other people that often. I like to think of myself as an independent person. I remember being so happy the day that I realized that my parents were not supporting me in any way possible anymore. I came back down to earth rather quickly when I realized that now my wife is supporting me. I'm sure she'd tell you that I support her as well, but we all know the truth, don't we?
Hope you all have a safe New Years. I'll be up in the greater Portland area. Might end up in Wilsonville/West Linn, Gresham, Downtown, Tigard, Southeast Portland....who knows? Let me know what's going on.....
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Not your grandpa's chat room
So today has just been awful. I know this sounds weird, lame, and little sappy, but since Rachel left for Wisconsin, I don't feel right. Like nothing's wrong, I just don't feel the same. It's weird being in the house by myself all night.....especially with nothing but re-runs on tv. I decided to rent X-Men III and Beerfest, because I knew I'd never get to rent them if Rachel was around. Let's just say maybe I should listen to her more on movie choices. Both were alright, but I'd just as soon have my $7.50 back. Then I just laid in bed and tossed around til like 2am. It's weird sleeping in it by myself. It's almost like I have too much room.
Today at work was a disaster. They seriously shouldn't have us come into work until about 11 and then leave at 7 or 8 at night. It'd make way more sense. Instead, I sit around a pretty much do nothing in the morning and then have to go like hell in the afternoon to try and squeeze in stuff that needs to be done by the 5 pm. It's ridiculous.
Anyways, I felt like I'd forgotten how to work today. Everything seemed like 10 times more difficult than normal today. I've done the same stuff every day for the past year, and yet today I was struggling to do it right. That just made me flustered, so I tried to rush through things, and that made it worse. If I gave myself a grade for the day, I'd give myself a D. I think my boss would give me a B+, but that's only because she would grade on a curve, and I definitely can thank my co-worker for dragging that thing down.
It's boring when your wife leaves town. That's what I've learned so far this week. That, and MySpace has chat rooms. But don't use them. They aren't fun. Trust me on this.
Today at work was a disaster. They seriously shouldn't have us come into work until about 11 and then leave at 7 or 8 at night. It'd make way more sense. Instead, I sit around a pretty much do nothing in the morning and then have to go like hell in the afternoon to try and squeeze in stuff that needs to be done by the 5 pm. It's ridiculous.
Anyways, I felt like I'd forgotten how to work today. Everything seemed like 10 times more difficult than normal today. I've done the same stuff every day for the past year, and yet today I was struggling to do it right. That just made me flustered, so I tried to rush through things, and that made it worse. If I gave myself a grade for the day, I'd give myself a D. I think my boss would give me a B+, but that's only because she would grade on a curve, and I definitely can thank my co-worker for dragging that thing down.
It's boring when your wife leaves town. That's what I've learned so far this week. That, and MySpace has chat rooms. But don't use them. They aren't fun. Trust me on this.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Throwbacks
Yesterday at lunch a bunch of us from work were discussing the old game "The Oregon Trail." My boss starts chiming in about how her son loves that game, but always has trouble lowering his wagon down the pass in the Blue Mountains. Immediately the rest of us were like "what in the hell are you talking about?" Then she starts talking about gathering herbs for medicine and fishing. We were dumbfounded. They updated the trail? The rest of us were used to watching the oxen ramble across the plain until Chimney Rock sprouted up and you were asked "do you want to continue or try and trade for supplies?" Then you go a little farther and your wagon tongue breaks and you're stuck there while little Timmy gets cholera and a band of indians steals all your sets of clothing. Then you all die, because even though you shot a 900 lb buffalo, you can only carry back 100 lbs.
I get to work today, and my boss has placed the 3 disk "Oregon Trail 4th edition" on my desk. So I'm going to have to try this thing out when I get home tonight. It's all I can do not to pop the thing in right now and have a go at getting from Independence, Mo to Oregon City.
Another thing I noticed is that I haven't seen any commercials for Stetson cologne. This may be the first Christmas that I haven't seen the Stetson man throw his woman on the back of his horse and take her out into Central Park to the large tree that he's strung 1,000s of lights on. Like that guy isn't getting any later on. He doesn't even need the cologne. That being said, I kind of miss him. It's not really christmas until you see the Stetson man. I guess now I have to deal with hot guys playing sports while a chick says things like "Nice Bod....I want your Bod." Bod Man fragrances has a long way to go to climb to the top of the holiday commercials. Now that Stetson man has apparently been retired, I give the nod to either Santa picking out jewelry at the mall for "someone very special," or any commercial where the items in the store come to life after the security guard turns his back. There's gotta be like 9,000 of those.
I get to work today, and my boss has placed the 3 disk "Oregon Trail 4th edition" on my desk. So I'm going to have to try this thing out when I get home tonight. It's all I can do not to pop the thing in right now and have a go at getting from Independence, Mo to Oregon City.
Another thing I noticed is that I haven't seen any commercials for Stetson cologne. This may be the first Christmas that I haven't seen the Stetson man throw his woman on the back of his horse and take her out into Central Park to the large tree that he's strung 1,000s of lights on. Like that guy isn't getting any later on. He doesn't even need the cologne. That being said, I kind of miss him. It's not really christmas until you see the Stetson man. I guess now I have to deal with hot guys playing sports while a chick says things like "Nice Bod....I want your Bod." Bod Man fragrances has a long way to go to climb to the top of the holiday commercials. Now that Stetson man has apparently been retired, I give the nod to either Santa picking out jewelry at the mall for "someone very special," or any commercial where the items in the store come to life after the security guard turns his back. There's gotta be like 9,000 of those.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Thanks wind.
So the windstorm caused problems on multiple fronts last night (get it? Fronts? Like weather fronts? Ha!) First Rachel and I decided to brave the elements and head to Quiznos for dinner. We get all the way across town, into the parking lot and POOF! Lights go out on that entire side of the city. So now we have to weave our way through town without the aid of traffic signals, which was a bitch because people seem to forget that intersections where the signal is out automatically become 4-way stops. Must've been at least half a dozen times that someone blew through the intersection, nearly causing an accident. Kind of scary, actually. So we make it back to our side of town, where thankfully the electricity still runs. We ate at Subway, which wasn't half bad.....I tried the new peppercorn steak sandwich, and I must say I was impressed. So we finally get home only to find that the wind has knocked our garbage can and our recyclables over. We're not the only home. Looked like an abandoned city, what with the empty milk jugs rolling down the street and the rain coming down sideways. Very movie-like. So we settle in on the couch to watch The Office, which was an hour long last night...or at least it would've been, had the power not gone out halfway through! We were without power from 8:30 last night to about 4:45 this morning. I know the exact time because our tv came back on and scared the bejeezus out of me.
Oh, and I've been having a problem with nightmares lately. First it was the toilet ghost. Last night I kept waking up because I was hearing people calling my name while I was lying in bed, only I couldn't move or speak. Then I woke up and my arms were both asleep. Then I dreamed that my mom was a victim of a road rage attack. Not a fun nights sleep, let me tell you.
Oh, and I've been having a problem with nightmares lately. First it was the toilet ghost. Last night I kept waking up because I was hearing people calling my name while I was lying in bed, only I couldn't move or speak. Then I woke up and my arms were both asleep. Then I dreamed that my mom was a victim of a road rage attack. Not a fun nights sleep, let me tell you.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
It ain't christmas until someone starts bleeding
Most stories start "it was a day like any other."
This is not one of those stories.
Saturday morning I found myself in a nightmare. Literally, a nightmare. In my dream, I woke up having to go to the bathroom. I get out of bed, head to the bathroom, lift up the seat......only to find that my tennis shoes have been thrown into the crapper. I figure Rachel's playing a joke on me. So I head to the other bathroom. There, I find our plunger and garbage can balanced precariously atop the toilet. Now I'm mad. "Rachel!" I scream. "What's the big idea?" Rachel looks at me with a look of total confusion. At this point the only thought that enters my mind is that it must be a ghost.
Just then, Rachel woke up to see me twitching in my sleep. Realizing that I was dreaming, she lightly touched my back. I, still asleep, think that it is the toilet ghost, so I jump like someone shot me, scaring Rachel half to death and damn near knocking myself out of bed. Good morning to you too!
Saturday was also the annual Starker Forests Tree hunt. It really helps to have a relative in the tree game this time of year. We just go out on some forest land, chop down a tree, throw it on a one-ton truck, and a few hours later it's delivered right to your doorstep. Oh, and there's a hot dog roast and we make s'mores and sing christmas carols too. It's a great time.
Over the years, a tradition within this tradition has sprung up. My cousins select the largest tree that can possibly fit into their parents house. Seeing how they have a 20 foot vaulted ceiling, this ends up being a rather large tree. Usually finding these trees means wandering quite a ways away from the hot dogs and carolers. This year was no different. They found a nice 18 footer at the base of a giant hill, about a quarter mile or so from camp. A quarter mile doesn't sound like a long ways...unless of course that quarter mile includes about a 200 foot rise in elevation on loose, wet dirt covered by a thick foliage of evergreens and blackberry bushes. Now it gets tricky. It takes three to four people to move the tree. The tree blocks off all view of the ground in front of you if you're behind the tree. Guaranteed someone is falling on their ass more than once. I have a nice three inch scratch on my shin from a blackberry bush that I didn't see. It sounds like a bitch, and it is. But going through this with your wife, brother, and cousins makes it fun. Though we're all sweaty, tired, bleeding and covered in tree pitch, we're laughing the entire way up the hill.
But emerging victorious from the forest with an 18 foot symbol of the season and being greeted by a fire to roast your hot dog over is what Christmas is all about to me. I wouldn't trade the blood, sweat and tears for anything. Hope you're having as much fun this holiday season as I am!
This is not one of those stories.
Saturday morning I found myself in a nightmare. Literally, a nightmare. In my dream, I woke up having to go to the bathroom. I get out of bed, head to the bathroom, lift up the seat......only to find that my tennis shoes have been thrown into the crapper. I figure Rachel's playing a joke on me. So I head to the other bathroom. There, I find our plunger and garbage can balanced precariously atop the toilet. Now I'm mad. "Rachel!" I scream. "What's the big idea?" Rachel looks at me with a look of total confusion. At this point the only thought that enters my mind is that it must be a ghost.
Just then, Rachel woke up to see me twitching in my sleep. Realizing that I was dreaming, she lightly touched my back. I, still asleep, think that it is the toilet ghost, so I jump like someone shot me, scaring Rachel half to death and damn near knocking myself out of bed. Good morning to you too!
Saturday was also the annual Starker Forests Tree hunt. It really helps to have a relative in the tree game this time of year. We just go out on some forest land, chop down a tree, throw it on a one-ton truck, and a few hours later it's delivered right to your doorstep. Oh, and there's a hot dog roast and we make s'mores and sing christmas carols too. It's a great time.
Over the years, a tradition within this tradition has sprung up. My cousins select the largest tree that can possibly fit into their parents house. Seeing how they have a 20 foot vaulted ceiling, this ends up being a rather large tree. Usually finding these trees means wandering quite a ways away from the hot dogs and carolers. This year was no different. They found a nice 18 footer at the base of a giant hill, about a quarter mile or so from camp. A quarter mile doesn't sound like a long ways...unless of course that quarter mile includes about a 200 foot rise in elevation on loose, wet dirt covered by a thick foliage of evergreens and blackberry bushes. Now it gets tricky. It takes three to four people to move the tree. The tree blocks off all view of the ground in front of you if you're behind the tree. Guaranteed someone is falling on their ass more than once. I have a nice three inch scratch on my shin from a blackberry bush that I didn't see. It sounds like a bitch, and it is. But going through this with your wife, brother, and cousins makes it fun. Though we're all sweaty, tired, bleeding and covered in tree pitch, we're laughing the entire way up the hill.
But emerging victorious from the forest with an 18 foot symbol of the season and being greeted by a fire to roast your hot dog over is what Christmas is all about to me. I wouldn't trade the blood, sweat and tears for anything. Hope you're having as much fun this holiday season as I am!
Friday, December 8, 2006
The Christmas Newsletter
By now, anyone who reads this should know that the Christmas Tree and all the things that go with it (hunting, cutting, decorating, etc) is my favorite tradition. A close second has to be the Christmas Newsletter.
The Christmas newsletter is a fairly new development....I don't remember seeing them until the mid '90s. This may have something to do with the rise of the home computer, making it easier to include pictures and graphics. The newsletter is the cousin of the bulk email.....people sending out a generic email to everyone in their address book saying "This is what I am up to, I'm too lazy to send you all an email, but could you all take the time to send me one?" The Christmas newsletter works much better, because nearly everyone does it so you don't have to worry about looking like a slacker.
The Christmas Newsletter usually includes a few key things. Pictures of the kids, a recap of any vacations taken during the year, and sadly, a recap of any tragedies in the family. Everyone has the crazy relative who always rambles about how the cats got declawed or gives you a blow by blow of their battle with the homeowners association. These are my favorite because no one wants to know about Little Fluffy's bout with ringworm, yet they never omit this information. You really can't put a price on this stuff.
I think I'm going to do a MySpace Bulletin Christmas Newsletter and see if it catches on. Let me know what you think.
The Christmas newsletter is a fairly new development....I don't remember seeing them until the mid '90s. This may have something to do with the rise of the home computer, making it easier to include pictures and graphics. The newsletter is the cousin of the bulk email.....people sending out a generic email to everyone in their address book saying "This is what I am up to, I'm too lazy to send you all an email, but could you all take the time to send me one?" The Christmas newsletter works much better, because nearly everyone does it so you don't have to worry about looking like a slacker.
The Christmas Newsletter usually includes a few key things. Pictures of the kids, a recap of any vacations taken during the year, and sadly, a recap of any tragedies in the family. Everyone has the crazy relative who always rambles about how the cats got declawed or gives you a blow by blow of their battle with the homeowners association. These are my favorite because no one wants to know about Little Fluffy's bout with ringworm, yet they never omit this information. You really can't put a price on this stuff.
I think I'm going to do a MySpace Bulletin Christmas Newsletter and see if it catches on. Let me know what you think.
Monday, December 4, 2006
I'm full of the christmas spirit!
Christmas has come to AndyLand.
Yesterday I listened to John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together like 14 times through, shopped for a majority of the day, then came home and watched "Miracle on 34th Street," Which is a fantastic movie. And not the newly released one, the 1947 version. That guy won an oscar for his portrayal of the jolliest of jolly, and he deserved it. Hell, by the end of the movie, I believed he was Santa.
But the movie got me thinking......it was a black and white film, that was "colorized." Now when they go back 40 years after the fact and basically color the movie like a kid with some crayons and a stencil, how do they get the colors right? Do they just guess? Or is there some sort of grayscale recognition software that can take a shade of gray from a black and white movie and tell you what color it is supposed to be? I need to know this stuff man. This might be my mission today if work keeps dragging on....not much to do right now.
Yesterday I listened to John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together like 14 times through, shopped for a majority of the day, then came home and watched "Miracle on 34th Street," Which is a fantastic movie. And not the newly released one, the 1947 version. That guy won an oscar for his portrayal of the jolliest of jolly, and he deserved it. Hell, by the end of the movie, I believed he was Santa.
But the movie got me thinking......it was a black and white film, that was "colorized." Now when they go back 40 years after the fact and basically color the movie like a kid with some crayons and a stencil, how do they get the colors right? Do they just guess? Or is there some sort of grayscale recognition software that can take a shade of gray from a black and white movie and tell you what color it is supposed to be? I need to know this stuff man. This might be my mission today if work keeps dragging on....not much to do right now.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
To HD or not to HD
So I woke up this morning to Christmas music. Is it seriously necessary to start it this early? I have no problem starting after Thanksgiving, but c'mon......let's not go putting the cart before the horse here. One holiday at a time please.
I love Thanksgiving because it's like a mini-Christmas. It's like the official Christmas kick-off party. You get everyone together, exchange lists of what you'd like for the 'real' holiday, have a big meal and basically it puts you in the right frame of mind for the next month. And this year I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a full time job that pays the bills that doesn't suck (no matter how much I complain, I know there's a lot of people out there worse off than me), a beautiful wife, a family I wouldn't trade for the world, some of the best friends a guy could ask for.....phew. In the past year, I've gained a wife, a house, a new car and a new job (and a new 50" HDTV). I got to go to my first NFL football game, traveled to Chicago for the first time, also went to Wisconsin and Hawaii and saw my grandpa celebrate his 94th birthday. My other grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I got to see OSU beat USC. I discovered MySpace. And before you laugh at that one, I got to reconnect with people I'd otherwise probably never come in contact with again.
And that is truly something to be thankful for. Here's wishing you and all yours a happy Thanksgiving. And I'd like to give my thanks to all of you who take the time to read this.......I appreciate you.
I love Thanksgiving because it's like a mini-Christmas. It's like the official Christmas kick-off party. You get everyone together, exchange lists of what you'd like for the 'real' holiday, have a big meal and basically it puts you in the right frame of mind for the next month. And this year I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a full time job that pays the bills that doesn't suck (no matter how much I complain, I know there's a lot of people out there worse off than me), a beautiful wife, a family I wouldn't trade for the world, some of the best friends a guy could ask for.....phew. In the past year, I've gained a wife, a house, a new car and a new job (and a new 50" HDTV). I got to go to my first NFL football game, traveled to Chicago for the first time, also went to Wisconsin and Hawaii and saw my grandpa celebrate his 94th birthday. My other grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I got to see OSU beat USC. I discovered MySpace. And before you laugh at that one, I got to reconnect with people I'd otherwise probably never come in contact with again.
And that is truly something to be thankful for. Here's wishing you and all yours a happy Thanksgiving. And I'd like to give my thanks to all of you who take the time to read this.......I appreciate you.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
It's the most wonderful time of the year
So I woke up this morning to Christmas music. Is it seriously necessary to start it this early? I have no problem starting after Thanksgiving, but c'mon......let's not go putting the cart before the horse here. One holiday at a time please.
I love Thanksgiving because it's like a mini-Christmas. It's like the official Christmas kick-off party. You get everyone together, exchange lists of what you'd like for the 'real' holiday, have a big meal and basically it puts you in the right frame of mind for the next month. And this year I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a full time job that pays the bills that doesn't suck (no matter how much I complain, I know there's a lot of people out there worse off than me), a beautiful wife, a family I wouldn't trade for the world, some of the best friends a guy could ask for.....phew. In the past year, I've gained a wife, a house, a new car and a new job (and a new 50" HDTV). I got to go to my first NFL football game, traveled to Chicago for the first time, also went to Wisconsin and Hawaii and saw my grandpa celebrate his 94th birthday. My other grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I got to see OSU beat USC. I discovered MySpace. And before you laugh at that one, I got to reconnect with people I'd otherwise probably never come in contact with again.
And that is truly something to be thankful for. Here's wishing you and all yours a happy Thanksgiving. And I'd like to give my thanks to all of you who take the time to read this.......I appreciate you.
I love Thanksgiving because it's like a mini-Christmas. It's like the official Christmas kick-off party. You get everyone together, exchange lists of what you'd like for the 'real' holiday, have a big meal and basically it puts you in the right frame of mind for the next month. And this year I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a full time job that pays the bills that doesn't suck (no matter how much I complain, I know there's a lot of people out there worse off than me), a beautiful wife, a family I wouldn't trade for the world, some of the best friends a guy could ask for.....phew. In the past year, I've gained a wife, a house, a new car and a new job (and a new 50" HDTV). I got to go to my first NFL football game, traveled to Chicago for the first time, also went to Wisconsin and Hawaii and saw my grandpa celebrate his 94th birthday. My other grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I got to see OSU beat USC. I discovered MySpace. And before you laugh at that one, I got to reconnect with people I'd otherwise probably never come in contact with again.
And that is truly something to be thankful for. Here's wishing you and all yours a happy Thanksgiving. And I'd like to give my thanks to all of you who take the time to read this.......I appreciate you.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Add this to my christmas list!
So I found something I would like to get for Christmas.....Burger King Xbox games! Apparently they're $3.99 with the purchase of any Value Meal. They're cheap, and would provide endless hours of entertainment! The one I'd really like is called "Sneak King." You're the King and you have to sneak around the neighboorhood and give unsuspecting people burgers. Looks awesome. There's also a bumper car game starring all your favorite BK personalities (The King, Big Buckin Chicken, Jr. Whopper, etc.) and a mini-bike racing game that looks similar to MarioKart. So if you're looking to make my holiday season, head on down to BK and have it your way!
www.burgerking.com
www.burgerking.com
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Fake xmas trees
So while cruising the KATU website, I noticed a poll that said "What kind of christmas tree are you getting this year?" The choices were real, fake and no tree. 48% of respondents said a real tree, 32 said fake, and 20 said no tree at all. Ok the 20% not getting a tree we can assume don't celebrate christmas....can't argue with that. This means that of people getting trees this year, 40% are getting a phony tree. Call me old fashioned, but what the hell is wrong with people? A fake tree? And don't give me some crap about how it saves you money. A real tree costs ballpark $30-40 in Oregon. You're telling me you can't shell out that much once a YEAR? And you know those people using the "it's too expensive" claim have a V-cast cellphone, an I-pod and a 52 inch plasma in their apartment. Not an excuse.
If you're not using the money defense, I don't think you really have a defense. The Christmas tree hunt is one of my absolute favorite holiday traditions. You all go out in the rain and the cold and tromp around and find a tree that everyone likes. This usually takes 4 hours because nothing makes Grandpa happy, and unless you go the day after Thanksgiving, finding a tree with no dead spots or gaps is damn near impossible. Yet we do it every year, and everyone has a good time with it, you drink hot chocolate (or tequilla if you go with my dad and his friends) and come home to decorate it. Another big tradition. Half of those fake-ass trees come pre-decorated.
Christmas is not something that should be simplified. It should be as complex and intricate as possible. It's the one time of year when families put aside all their issues, come together and have a good time. Decorating the tree, cooking dinner, wrapping presents, shopping, etc should be done as much as possible, and with as many people as possible.
Nothing, I repeat nothing, about christmas should be fake or contrived.
Least of all the tree.
If you're not using the money defense, I don't think you really have a defense. The Christmas tree hunt is one of my absolute favorite holiday traditions. You all go out in the rain and the cold and tromp around and find a tree that everyone likes. This usually takes 4 hours because nothing makes Grandpa happy, and unless you go the day after Thanksgiving, finding a tree with no dead spots or gaps is damn near impossible. Yet we do it every year, and everyone has a good time with it, you drink hot chocolate (or tequilla if you go with my dad and his friends) and come home to decorate it. Another big tradition. Half of those fake-ass trees come pre-decorated.
Christmas is not something that should be simplified. It should be as complex and intricate as possible. It's the one time of year when families put aside all their issues, come together and have a good time. Decorating the tree, cooking dinner, wrapping presents, shopping, etc should be done as much as possible, and with as many people as possible.
Nothing, I repeat nothing, about christmas should be fake or contrived.
Least of all the tree.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Telemarketing gone wrong
So last night my phone rings, and it says "unknown caller." Knowing there's a 90% chance it's nobody I know, I answer it anyways. Stupid. "Hi, may I please speak to Andrew?" If they call me Andrew, there's a 100% chance they don't know me. I say 'he's not here right now, can I ask who is calling?" It's the car dealership, wanting to know about the service I received. Now this car dealership is relentless. They callled every day for a week after I bought the car wanting to know about how the salesman treated me. Knowing I'd be ducking their call for the forseeable future, when she asked if I knew anything about the service, I said "yeah he told me about it." Then she asked for my name. I said "This is Grant." At this point Rachel's looking at me like I'm a moron and I'm trying to hold it together. We go through all sorts of questions like "Was the car ready on time?" I say "ummm, Andy told me he just went to get an oil change, and he was back within an hour, so I'd say yes." I think the lady was on to me, because she kept saying "Were you, I mean was Andy happy with the service he received?" I just kept giving really vague answers and saying stuff like "Andy had nothing but nice things to say about Roberson Chrysler Jeep Dodge." It was one of the strangest phone conversations ever. But at least they won't be calling me back now.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Adultery & football
So Friday was my buddy JR's birthday. We went out to the bar he bounces at in Gresham. There were probably 10 of us. I really like the place, the Skyland Pub if you're wondering. It's big and open, has a good bar menu (great fries), pool tables, video poker, and a ton of TV's to watch sports on. Only thing I don't like about it is that you can smoke there, but hey, it's a bar. I guess I've been spoiled living in Corvallis all these years. Anyways, there's this couple just sucking face all night long. Literally 45 minutes of non stop making out. It seemed obvious to me that they should be alone. I was wondering why they would be doing this in public, rather than at home where they could take their romance to the next level. So I call JR over and ask him if they do that all the time. He says "well she does." Apparently she's sucking face with a new guy every week, none of whom happen to be her HUSBAND. Apparently JR said that the guy has come in and caught his wife with her tongue in someone elses throat before, and they have to ask him to leave before he kills her or the poor guy who thought he was getting lucky. What kind of scandalous tramp not only cheats on her husband multiple times, but goes to the same place to do it? How little respect do you have to have for your relationship to do that? Furthermore, how has the divorce not been finalized? I wish I knew more of this story. As it turns out, apparently this week's guy du jour was the boyfriend of the skank's best friend! Love people watching....it really should be the national pasttime. After the bar closed we headed back to Grant's place to play Guitar Hero II...seriously the greatest line of games to come out in a long time.
Saturday I woke up, watched the Badgers-Hawkeyes game, drove to Lewis & Clark to watch Colin's last game of the year (he kicks for Linfield) and then drove back to Albany to pick up Rachel and then drive to Seattle to go to the Seahawks game on Sunday. It was a very busy weekend, and I'm exhausted. It was extremely hard to get up for work today. But I'm here and I'm hanging in there.
Saturday I woke up, watched the Badgers-Hawkeyes game, drove to Lewis & Clark to watch Colin's last game of the year (he kicks for Linfield) and then drove back to Albany to pick up Rachel and then drive to Seattle to go to the Seahawks game on Sunday. It was a very busy weekend, and I'm exhausted. It was extremely hard to get up for work today. But I'm here and I'm hanging in there.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Days off....not always great
So I was pleasantly surprised to find out on Monday that today was Veterans Day, and as such we would not be working today. I thought it was a little strange, since the University held classes today. Why they're in session and we're off I don't know.
Having days off from class used to be awesome, because all your friends had the day off as well, so you could all go play. Except now, most of the people I know are still working today, like my wife for example. So she goes to work, and I'm home all day by myself doing diddly poo. Oh sure, I mowed the lawn and got the oil changed in the car, but really are those things you want to be doing on your "off " day? Not really. I've got the rest of the day to sit on my butt and be bored. It's like when you're sick and can't do anything. What good is a day off work if you can't take full advantage of it? One of my co-workers for example was all excited because she's taking monday off as well, turning her 3 day weekend into a four day festival. "So what are you going to do with that extra day?" I ask. "Well, I thought I'd come into work and introduce my boyfriend to everyone."
That's right....she's coming TO WORK on a day she asked NOT TO WORK. I just don't get it.
Having days off from class used to be awesome, because all your friends had the day off as well, so you could all go play. Except now, most of the people I know are still working today, like my wife for example. So she goes to work, and I'm home all day by myself doing diddly poo. Oh sure, I mowed the lawn and got the oil changed in the car, but really are those things you want to be doing on your "off " day? Not really. I've got the rest of the day to sit on my butt and be bored. It's like when you're sick and can't do anything. What good is a day off work if you can't take full advantage of it? One of my co-workers for example was all excited because she's taking monday off as well, turning her 3 day weekend into a four day festival. "So what are you going to do with that extra day?" I ask. "Well, I thought I'd come into work and introduce my boyfriend to everyone."
That's right....she's coming TO WORK on a day she asked NOT TO WORK. I just don't get it.
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Politics: the new sport
So when did politics become a sport? I mean, you have two teams, they have their own colors, their own mascots, and diehard fans! They play once every two years like the world championships, and then they have the big dance (the olympics) every four years when we vote for a president. It's retarded. They have big team viewing parties on game night where you can go and cheer your team on, and groan when the other side takes the lead halfway through the night. It's ridiculous. This is not a sporting event, this is the direction of the country people.
Last night, they were talking to some democrat about Darlene Hooley's big win over Mike Erickson. His quote was something like this "The other team thought they could steal this one from us, and they spent a lot of money trying to defeat us, but we fought back just as hard." Tell me if that sounds anything like the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. Furthermore......how disheartening is it that what it comes down to these days is who spends more money. Nobody votes on the basis of the issues anymore. You vote based on who you grew up rooting for, who your parents rooted for, and who has the flashier TV ads.
Now I know some people are going to say that Ron Saxton spent twice as much as Ted Kulongoski, and he still lost. But anyone who doesn't think democrats have huge homefield advantage in Oregon is nuts. I mean, most newspapers in the state endorsed Ron Saxton. Those are people who are paid to analyze the issues and make an informed decision. And he still got hammered. Of course, it didn't help that he came off like a total douche in his tv commercials.
Last night, they were talking to some democrat about Darlene Hooley's big win over Mike Erickson. His quote was something like this "The other team thought they could steal this one from us, and they spent a lot of money trying to defeat us, but we fought back just as hard." Tell me if that sounds anything like the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. Furthermore......how disheartening is it that what it comes down to these days is who spends more money. Nobody votes on the basis of the issues anymore. You vote based on who you grew up rooting for, who your parents rooted for, and who has the flashier TV ads.
Now I know some people are going to say that Ron Saxton spent twice as much as Ted Kulongoski, and he still lost. But anyone who doesn't think democrats have huge homefield advantage in Oregon is nuts. I mean, most newspapers in the state endorsed Ron Saxton. Those are people who are paid to analyze the issues and make an informed decision. And he still got hammered. Of course, it didn't help that he came off like a total douche in his tv commercials.
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
I vote for more rain
Two things have dominated the headlines the past few days......elections and rain. There's been a lot of both. I swear I've seen more political ads this year than most years. Of course, I probably would've said that two years ago as well. Fact of the matter is, every time the elections come around, it's always the "most critical" election ever, and both sides "need your votes now more than ever." I don't see how we plan to get anything done ever when we flip flop who's in office and who is running the country every few years. This two party system is so outdated, it's ridiculous. A majority of people don't give any thought to who is on the other side just because there's an (R) or a (D) behind their name. News flash.....not all republicans are baby killers and not all democrats are tree hugging hippies. It's absurd. Furthermore, if a republican has all these ideas for fixing the economy, strengthening schools and what not, he can be completely derailed if he simply believes that a woman has the right to seek an abortion. Republicans everywhere would be outraged. I think it's absolutely appalling that the direction this country will take can hinge on something like same sex marriage or abortion. That's not to say that those aren't important issues.....but really, aren't things like international policy, education and homeland security just a little more important when picking the leaders of our country?
And if President Bush is so unpopular, how'd he win two consecutive elections? That's the part that really confuses me. If 75% of the country hates the man, why did 50% vote for him? Strange don't you think? Either the pollsters are asking the wrong people their opinion on Dubya, or the people that claim to hate him so much don't hate him enough to cast a vote in the opposite direction.
One day hopefully, we'll be able to get away from this Republican/Democrat crap and have open dialogues between candidates who aren't told how they should respond to every question because of the letter in parentheses behind their name.
And if President Bush is so unpopular, how'd he win two consecutive elections? That's the part that really confuses me. If 75% of the country hates the man, why did 50% vote for him? Strange don't you think? Either the pollsters are asking the wrong people their opinion on Dubya, or the people that claim to hate him so much don't hate him enough to cast a vote in the opposite direction.
One day hopefully, we'll be able to get away from this Republican/Democrat crap and have open dialogues between candidates who aren't told how they should respond to every question because of the letter in parentheses behind their name.
Friday, November 3, 2006
Bloggin for the hell of it
I just noticed that I've only blogged once this week. That is just unfair to you people out there. I apologize. Sadly, this week has not offered anything too terribly worthwhile to write about.
It was weird this year to be the guy handing out candy on Halloween. You always think of grandparents and middle aged people sitting by door with their tray of snack sized milky ways and asking all the kids "and what are you supposed to be?" Well, that was me this year. Really seems like just a few years ago I was the kid dressing up like Superman and filling my pillowcase up, only to get home, dump it all on the floor, sort it and trade unwanted candy with my brother. Now I'm looking at the little three year old dressed up like a monkey that's too shy to tell me if he wants a tootise roll or m&m's and going "I can't wait 'til I have my own little monkey." Of course right after the cute little kid, a bunch of high schoolers whose costume was to rub chocolate sauce all over their bodies and run around the neighborhood in their boxers come to the door, and I realize that parenthood isn't all fun with monkeys.
It was weird this year to be the guy handing out candy on Halloween. You always think of grandparents and middle aged people sitting by door with their tray of snack sized milky ways and asking all the kids "and what are you supposed to be?" Well, that was me this year. Really seems like just a few years ago I was the kid dressing up like Superman and filling my pillowcase up, only to get home, dump it all on the floor, sort it and trade unwanted candy with my brother. Now I'm looking at the little three year old dressed up like a monkey that's too shy to tell me if he wants a tootise roll or m&m's and going "I can't wait 'til I have my own little monkey." Of course right after the cute little kid, a bunch of high schoolers whose costume was to rub chocolate sauce all over their bodies and run around the neighborhood in their boxers come to the door, and I realize that parenthood isn't all fun with monkeys.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Weird Dream
A few weeks ago, I wrote in a survey or something that I don't have crazy dreams anymore. Well, I was wrong.
Last night I dreamed I had to save a bunch of kids who were dangling on a metal structure over the edge of a cliff that just happened to be overlooking a volcano. Once I saved them, I had to let the unabomber out of jail so he could escape the imminent eruption. Then it turns out that the Unabomber had some deal with the government, and after the eruption, he was the wealthiest landowner in the west. Not sure how that happened, but all of a sudden Ted Kaczynski is the most powerful man in the United States. Things kind of went downhill in our great country after that.
Last night I dreamed I had to save a bunch of kids who were dangling on a metal structure over the edge of a cliff that just happened to be overlooking a volcano. Once I saved them, I had to let the unabomber out of jail so he could escape the imminent eruption. Then it turns out that the Unabomber had some deal with the government, and after the eruption, he was the wealthiest landowner in the west. Not sure how that happened, but all of a sudden Ted Kaczynski is the most powerful man in the United States. Things kind of went downhill in our great country after that.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Pet Peeve
So I think my biggest pet peeve is people in Oregon who own convertibles. Yes, I know I used to drive one and my brother still does, but I don't think either of us would've bought it on our own. There's absolutely no reason to buy one. It's nice for about 60-70 days a year, roughly 20% of the year. That means at best you get to use the primary reason you bought the car 1 out of every 5 days. Furthermore, in a wet climate, the last thing you want is a flimsy layer of fabric between you and the elements. Our convertible developed one hell of a leak, which results every winter in "Lake Lasselle" filling up in the back of the car, almost to the point that we could start stocking it with trout and charge the kids in the neighborhood $1 to cast a line.
It also kills me how people who buy convertibles in our great state understand this when they purchase their car, so they try to squeeze extra days out of their drop-top. You've all see the dumbass who's got a winter coat on, the windows up and heat cranked with the top down in 45 degree weather just because it's sunny. I always feel sorry for the poor sap who gets stuck in the backseat, because the windshield provides no protection from the elements whatsoever.
When I was a kid, JR used to invite me out to his family's beachhouse in Seaside every so often. We'd usually leave Saturday after our basketball games. His dad was a convertible owner. He'd try and squeeze every dry day he could out of that thing. Going through the coastal mountains in mid-november with the top down sitting in the backseat sweaty and wearing gym shorts is not something I'd recommend. It was miserable. The only thing that made up for it was knowing that my mom had given me $20 to spend at the arcade, and JR's dad would give us each another $20, giving us $60 to play Rampage and Double Dragon. Maybe a little Ivan Stewarts Offroad Challenge. You never know.
It also kills me how people who buy convertibles in our great state understand this when they purchase their car, so they try to squeeze extra days out of their drop-top. You've all see the dumbass who's got a winter coat on, the windows up and heat cranked with the top down in 45 degree weather just because it's sunny. I always feel sorry for the poor sap who gets stuck in the backseat, because the windshield provides no protection from the elements whatsoever.
When I was a kid, JR used to invite me out to his family's beachhouse in Seaside every so often. We'd usually leave Saturday after our basketball games. His dad was a convertible owner. He'd try and squeeze every dry day he could out of that thing. Going through the coastal mountains in mid-november with the top down sitting in the backseat sweaty and wearing gym shorts is not something I'd recommend. It was miserable. The only thing that made up for it was knowing that my mom had given me $20 to spend at the arcade, and JR's dad would give us each another $20, giving us $60 to play Rampage and Double Dragon. Maybe a little Ivan Stewarts Offroad Challenge. You never know.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
What's your beef?
So new blog idea. I'm going to put what's bothering me right now, and I'd invite everyone else to add what's bothering them to the list.
What's bothering me today:
- I forgot to put on a belt today.
(EDITOR'S NOTE)
This idea for an interactive blog was a huge failure.
What's bothering me today:
- I forgot to put on a belt today.
(EDITOR'S NOTE)
This idea for an interactive blog was a huge failure.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Weekend in Central Oregon
So, because there was no home game for Oregon State (and the game wasn't on tv for that matter) Rachel and I packed a bag and headed over the Cascades to visit my cousin in Redmond. What a great time! Rachel had never been to Central Oregon before, so it was fun to show her a different part of the state.
On Saturday morning, we took Sally's dog Odie to Dog-toberfest, a sort of pet-day for the city. They said they were having dog agility drills, humane society would be there, grooming, blah blah blah. Sounded like a good time. So we get there, and there's an agility course set up with a couple of people kind of milling around. So Sally takes Odie out on the course and tries to get him to jump something. Of course he's having none of it. Apparently neither were the people who set up the course. This really serious looking lady comes over and says that the course is "not open to public dogs" yet. We look around, and there's like absolutely nothing going on. This isn't a professional event, and this lady seems to be the only person who would even care. As she's shooing Sally and Odie off the course, I see a 10 year old kid run out there and do the entire course by himself....as in no dog. Just a kid running and jumping the jumps and weaving between the slalom poles. Serious lady doesn't seem to care. That's when I notice her husband, who is dressed identically to her! Hilarious, and made even funnier by the '70's moustache the guy was rockin'. He's over tending to their dogs. That's when I notice he's got one of those portable dog pens. In one pen, he has three hyperactive dogs that look like they don't know how to do anything except run around that stupid agility course. In the other pen, he has THEIR SON. Basically the dogs and the kid are getting the same treatment. It got worse. First he takes the dogs out and gives them all a run around the course. All this time, nobody is paying a lick of attention to the one year old kid in the portable dog kennel. So now that the dogs have got to run around a little bit, they're all wound up and he throws them back in the pen. Naturally, three dogs in a 5 by 5 cell are going to get a little antsy. So they start play fighting. This is happening with just a flimsy "fence" between the dogs and the baby. What makes you think this is a good idea? Thankfully, the kid was unhurt. But Moustache doesn't even check on him. He just grabs the two antsy dogs holds them apart and says in a forceful tone "that is unacceptable behavior you two! You don't behave like that!" What is this supernanny? I thought it couldn't get any worse, but it did. The guy then finally pays attention to his son and takes him out of the pen. He takes him out to the agility course and LOWERS ONE OF THE JUMPS! Like your one-year old is going to jump over a dog agility obstacle you freakin idiot! The kid can barely walk. He wobbles for a little bit, then flops onto his butt and starts crying. Nice job, Dad. Moustache picks up his kid and mom jumps back into it. She's busy training the dogs, but hears her kid crying. Does she run over to see how he's doing? Nope, she just yells "there's a granola bar in his pen, give him that!" Note to parents: Your kid is not a pet. Your pets are not people. Figure it the hell out. Why does God allow things like this to happen? I was furious. I seriously almost went and grabbed one of the Humane Society's "I need a home" vests that they put on their dogs and placed it on this poor kid. So we left.
Sally also showed us her classroom, which only reinforced my belief that teachers work way too hard for the pay they get, and I don't think I could handle it. Props to Sally though, she does a great job.
Then we visited Smith Rock, which is just an amazing place. After running five straight days, my plan was to take Saturday off from exercise. Instead, we hiked this freakin rock. Not the easiest thing. I think hiking that took more out of me than running. We sat up on top, ate lunch and watched the mountain climbers climb "Monkey Face" which looks surprisingly like a monkey's face. Then we hiked down and went to the pumpkin patch where we met up with some of Sally's friends. The had a pumpkin cannon, which shot pumpkins at about 150 mph. It was insane watching these pumpkins just slam into the side of a beat up van they had out there. Pretty awesome.
Then we went home, had dinner and rented Best in Show in tribute to the psycho dog people we'd met earlier in the day. Sunday we went to Bend, bought some shoes at the Nike Factory Outlet, visited the High Desert Museum and had lunch in Sisters before heading home. All in all a fantastic weekend, made all the better by another Beaver victory!
On Saturday morning, we took Sally's dog Odie to Dog-toberfest, a sort of pet-day for the city. They said they were having dog agility drills, humane society would be there, grooming, blah blah blah. Sounded like a good time. So we get there, and there's an agility course set up with a couple of people kind of milling around. So Sally takes Odie out on the course and tries to get him to jump something. Of course he's having none of it. Apparently neither were the people who set up the course. This really serious looking lady comes over and says that the course is "not open to public dogs" yet. We look around, and there's like absolutely nothing going on. This isn't a professional event, and this lady seems to be the only person who would even care. As she's shooing Sally and Odie off the course, I see a 10 year old kid run out there and do the entire course by himself....as in no dog. Just a kid running and jumping the jumps and weaving between the slalom poles. Serious lady doesn't seem to care. That's when I notice her husband, who is dressed identically to her! Hilarious, and made even funnier by the '70's moustache the guy was rockin'. He's over tending to their dogs. That's when I notice he's got one of those portable dog pens. In one pen, he has three hyperactive dogs that look like they don't know how to do anything except run around that stupid agility course. In the other pen, he has THEIR SON. Basically the dogs and the kid are getting the same treatment. It got worse. First he takes the dogs out and gives them all a run around the course. All this time, nobody is paying a lick of attention to the one year old kid in the portable dog kennel. So now that the dogs have got to run around a little bit, they're all wound up and he throws them back in the pen. Naturally, three dogs in a 5 by 5 cell are going to get a little antsy. So they start play fighting. This is happening with just a flimsy "fence" between the dogs and the baby. What makes you think this is a good idea? Thankfully, the kid was unhurt. But Moustache doesn't even check on him. He just grabs the two antsy dogs holds them apart and says in a forceful tone "that is unacceptable behavior you two! You don't behave like that!" What is this supernanny? I thought it couldn't get any worse, but it did. The guy then finally pays attention to his son and takes him out of the pen. He takes him out to the agility course and LOWERS ONE OF THE JUMPS! Like your one-year old is going to jump over a dog agility obstacle you freakin idiot! The kid can barely walk. He wobbles for a little bit, then flops onto his butt and starts crying. Nice job, Dad. Moustache picks up his kid and mom jumps back into it. She's busy training the dogs, but hears her kid crying. Does she run over to see how he's doing? Nope, she just yells "there's a granola bar in his pen, give him that!" Note to parents: Your kid is not a pet. Your pets are not people. Figure it the hell out. Why does God allow things like this to happen? I was furious. I seriously almost went and grabbed one of the Humane Society's "I need a home" vests that they put on their dogs and placed it on this poor kid. So we left.
Sally also showed us her classroom, which only reinforced my belief that teachers work way too hard for the pay they get, and I don't think I could handle it. Props to Sally though, she does a great job.
Then we visited Smith Rock, which is just an amazing place. After running five straight days, my plan was to take Saturday off from exercise. Instead, we hiked this freakin rock. Not the easiest thing. I think hiking that took more out of me than running. We sat up on top, ate lunch and watched the mountain climbers climb "Monkey Face" which looks surprisingly like a monkey's face. Then we hiked down and went to the pumpkin patch where we met up with some of Sally's friends. The had a pumpkin cannon, which shot pumpkins at about 150 mph. It was insane watching these pumpkins just slam into the side of a beat up van they had out there. Pretty awesome.
Then we went home, had dinner and rented Best in Show in tribute to the psycho dog people we'd met earlier in the day. Sunday we went to Bend, bought some shoes at the Nike Factory Outlet, visited the High Desert Museum and had lunch in Sisters before heading home. All in all a fantastic weekend, made all the better by another Beaver victory!
Friday, October 20, 2006
The man in the bathroom
So we have a door inside the men's bathroom here. I always assumed it was a supply closet, where they kept plungers and other supplies that you don't want lying around your office. Turns out I was half right. It is a supply closet, but it also has a computer work station in it for the maintenance people. I found this out when I went to "use the facilities" today and saw a guy in there working on the computer. It's a closet, so there's no air circulation in there, so he's pretty much forced to leave the door open. Poor guy has to sit there and work within earshot of the crappers! He was talking on his cell phone while I was sitting on the can, and I could hear him clear as day. What kind of stories does that guy have when he goes home?
"Well honey, today I was right in the middle of printing off some invoices when this guy came in, and I don't know what he had for lunch, but it must've just gone right through him! The smell was atrocious! I would've shut the door, but then I would've be sweltered by the heat of my meager storage closet office!"
Guess they're right.....it always could be worse!
"Well honey, today I was right in the middle of printing off some invoices when this guy came in, and I don't know what he had for lunch, but it must've just gone right through him! The smell was atrocious! I would've shut the door, but then I would've be sweltered by the heat of my meager storage closet office!"
Guess they're right.....it always could be worse!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The F word
This has to be one of my biggest pet peeves. You hear a song on the radio - for instance, Akon & Snoop Dogg's "I want to love you" - and you get really into the song. Like you love it. So you try and download it. Once you've downloaded the song, you realize that the name of the song is "I want to fuck you." Now you love a song that's all about having sex with a stripper. And it's not even subtle about it like T-Pain's "I'm in love with a stripper." So now I look like this total douchebag 27 year old male blasting misogynistic rap from my car stereo. Thanks Akon. Way to go Snoop. Do rappers really lose street cred if they write PG-13 songs? Does Snoop Doggy Dogg really need to prove to anyone that he's a gangster? I think we got the point when you went on trial for MURDER. Writing a song about love is not going to ruin your rep Mr. Dogg.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
The hidden cost of owning a home
I was prepared for the mortgage, the higher energy bills, the garbage and sewer bills. I even knew what I was getting into with yard maintenance costs and other home improvement projects.
I was not prepared for the onslaught of little kids with "causes." Jogathons, candy sales, magazines, christmas stuff, etc. I swear ther must be 8000 kids in the neighborhood. And how do you say no to a little 5 year old girl who wants you to sponsor her per lap around the track? You can't. That's why Rachel purchased mint meltaways from a kid last week. That's why I gave this girl $3 to run around a track. I'm going to have to declare bankruptcy by supporting the neighborhood children. It's amazing.
I was not prepared for the onslaught of little kids with "causes." Jogathons, candy sales, magazines, christmas stuff, etc. I swear ther must be 8000 kids in the neighborhood. And how do you say no to a little 5 year old girl who wants you to sponsor her per lap around the track? You can't. That's why Rachel purchased mint meltaways from a kid last week. That's why I gave this girl $3 to run around a track. I'm going to have to declare bankruptcy by supporting the neighborhood children. It's amazing.
Monday, October 16, 2006
What a weekend
Well we all survived this weekend. The Beavs won, which was great, but I'm still pissed at our fans. I don't even know if you can call them fans of the Beavers at this point. They're more fans of winning. When things are going bad, they might as well be wearing the colors of the other team. What bitches! I was most appalled when Matt Moore came over to fire up our section of Beavers, and everyone starts applauding him and I heard people yell "you're the man!" As if these same people weren't overjoyed when we put in Sean Canfield earlier in the game. As if they weren't booing his ass 7 days earlier. It was pathetic.
I'd like to tell you our funny stories from the weekend, but the funniest one was a "you had to be there moment." I wish I could convey to you how funny it was when we took a picture of Dave wearing Mandy's hat with Mandy's phone while she was in the bathroom. We made it her phone wallpaper, and the plan was to let her figure out what happened on her own. Well she's been back at the table for less than a minute when Dave goes "hey I think someone tried to call you." He couldn't even contain himself for 60 seconds! It was hilarious. I realize that this isn't funny to any of you, but we laughed so hard we cried. Classic. Garth took some photos, and if he sends them to me, I'll post them.
I decided this morning to follow Grant's lead and give up fast food, soft drinks and start exercising. He dubbed last week "Rock Bottom" week and ate, drank and partied accordingly. I followed suit this weekend, drinking way too much pepsi and eating burgers like my name was Kobayashi. But I'm really going to try and "get healthy." So far today I ate an apple, some baked lays and a turkey bratwurst for lunch, and drank about 5 glasses of water. I also did pushups and situps for the first time in months, followed by some stretching. I plan on going running after work today. Grant's toying with the idea of running the Portland Marathon next year, and I think I'm going to see how this getting healthy stuff goes and see if maybe I'm going to do it with him.
We'll see.....
I'd like to tell you our funny stories from the weekend, but the funniest one was a "you had to be there moment." I wish I could convey to you how funny it was when we took a picture of Dave wearing Mandy's hat with Mandy's phone while she was in the bathroom. We made it her phone wallpaper, and the plan was to let her figure out what happened on her own. Well she's been back at the table for less than a minute when Dave goes "hey I think someone tried to call you." He couldn't even contain himself for 60 seconds! It was hilarious. I realize that this isn't funny to any of you, but we laughed so hard we cried. Classic. Garth took some photos, and if he sends them to me, I'll post them.
I decided this morning to follow Grant's lead and give up fast food, soft drinks and start exercising. He dubbed last week "Rock Bottom" week and ate, drank and partied accordingly. I followed suit this weekend, drinking way too much pepsi and eating burgers like my name was Kobayashi. But I'm really going to try and "get healthy." So far today I ate an apple, some baked lays and a turkey bratwurst for lunch, and drank about 5 glasses of water. I also did pushups and situps for the first time in months, followed by some stretching. I plan on going running after work today. Grant's toying with the idea of running the Portland Marathon next year, and I think I'm going to see how this getting healthy stuff goes and see if maybe I'm going to do it with him.
We'll see.....
Monday, October 9, 2006
If it's a National Holiday but nobody celebrates, did it really happen?
So Columbus Day......good idea in theory. Let's honor the guy who made the world realize that....well that there was more world. And that it was round. He also is probably responsible for the demise of the Mayan and Aztec empires, and the obliteration of Native Americans from coast to coast. Probably not his initial motive, and we can't fault him for that. So yes, I agree that a forward thinker such as Mr. Columbus should have a day in his honor.
However, what's the point of a holiday if nobody celebrates it? Do you know of any Columbus Day parades? Are any Columbus miniseries running on ABC this week? Will there even be a show on TLC or the History Channel about him tonight? I looked it up...the answer is no. The only people who seem to get the day off today are the US Postal Service and possibly the DMV, though I didn't go to find out.
I'm a little bitter about this mail thing though.....it really makes my job slow when no donations come in. Of course this means tomorrow will be busier than normal, which means I might actually have something to do all day. I've really been stumbling around trying to find something to do today. I honestly don't want to be posting a blog about Columbus Day for Christs sake. I'd much rather be earning my paycheck. This is why I want a new job. I want to earn the money I make. I understand why I get paid crappy. I just wish they'd let me work less and get paid the same. If I was working 30 hours a week, then I could understand. But I think my time is a little more valuable that what I'm making annually.
Still trying to find someone to see The Departed with me.........Rachel won't go. Any takers?
However, what's the point of a holiday if nobody celebrates it? Do you know of any Columbus Day parades? Are any Columbus miniseries running on ABC this week? Will there even be a show on TLC or the History Channel about him tonight? I looked it up...the answer is no. The only people who seem to get the day off today are the US Postal Service and possibly the DMV, though I didn't go to find out.
I'm a little bitter about this mail thing though.....it really makes my job slow when no donations come in. Of course this means tomorrow will be busier than normal, which means I might actually have something to do all day. I've really been stumbling around trying to find something to do today. I honestly don't want to be posting a blog about Columbus Day for Christs sake. I'd much rather be earning my paycheck. This is why I want a new job. I want to earn the money I make. I understand why I get paid crappy. I just wish they'd let me work less and get paid the same. If I was working 30 hours a week, then I could understand. But I think my time is a little more valuable that what I'm making annually.
Still trying to find someone to see The Departed with me.........Rachel won't go. Any takers?
Monday, October 2, 2006
Nothing makes you feel old like...
You know, a few months ago, I wrote about how turning 27 made me feel old. Over the past few months, I've been able to get away from that (working with a bunch of 21 year old students and going to football games wearing a Mike Hass jersey will do that), but today my age reared its ugly head yet again.
Bryony called this afternoon and asked me to deliver flowers to her friend Stephanie for her birthday. Being the nice guy I am, I said that I would gladly do it. So on my break from work, I headed to Safeway and picked up the requested two dozen yellow roses (by the way, who knew roses came in colors other than red? And furthermore, I don't even buy my wife two dozen roses! That's some friendship they have!) and then headed over to Stephanies house. I knew where she lived when I stopped by their football after party last week after the game. I remember when I was in college, people always ran the music through their computers. Nowadays, they pipe the music through speakers attached to an I-Pod. Anyways, I pull up to the house, and of course, there's a couple of guys looking very frattish tossing a football around outside. I just prayed that none of them were dating Stephanie or anyone else that lived in the house. I really didn't want to explain to some dude why I was delivering flowers to his woman's house. Besides saying "I'm doing a favor for my brother's girlfriend" doesn't exactly sound like the most believable story.
Thankfully they stayed on the other side of the street, but they definitely were wondering why this guy in business causal attire with gray hair was delivering flowers to the cute girls across the street. At this point I thought about pretending I worked for 1-800-Flowers or something, but my lack of a pen and invoices nixed that idea.
So I knock on the door, praying that Stephanie answers. Of course she doesn't. It's this very cute perky blonde. I use the word perky in a good way.....your typical college girl. She looks as confused as I am. "Ummm....is Stephanie here?"
"Which one?"
Talk about a question you're not expecting. That one caught me off guard. Only in a college town would you expect a cute blonde to answer the door, only to have another equally cute blonde answer the door and then ask you which Stephanie you are looking for. Well, either a college town or a porno. And last time I checked, I was not blessed with a porn star's body.
As I explained which Stephanie the flowers were for and who they were from, I was met with repeated exclamaitions of "Awwww!" and "Cuuuuuuute!" At this point she turns around and yells upstairs "hey come check out the pretty flowers!" I took that as my cue to leave before I had to explain who I was and what I was doing there to any other college coeds.
Was pretty awkward for this bear, but I managed.
Bryony called this afternoon and asked me to deliver flowers to her friend Stephanie for her birthday. Being the nice guy I am, I said that I would gladly do it. So on my break from work, I headed to Safeway and picked up the requested two dozen yellow roses (by the way, who knew roses came in colors other than red? And furthermore, I don't even buy my wife two dozen roses! That's some friendship they have!) and then headed over to Stephanies house. I knew where she lived when I stopped by their football after party last week after the game. I remember when I was in college, people always ran the music through their computers. Nowadays, they pipe the music through speakers attached to an I-Pod. Anyways, I pull up to the house, and of course, there's a couple of guys looking very frattish tossing a football around outside. I just prayed that none of them were dating Stephanie or anyone else that lived in the house. I really didn't want to explain to some dude why I was delivering flowers to his woman's house. Besides saying "I'm doing a favor for my brother's girlfriend" doesn't exactly sound like the most believable story.
Thankfully they stayed on the other side of the street, but they definitely were wondering why this guy in business causal attire with gray hair was delivering flowers to the cute girls across the street. At this point I thought about pretending I worked for 1-800-Flowers or something, but my lack of a pen and invoices nixed that idea.
So I knock on the door, praying that Stephanie answers. Of course she doesn't. It's this very cute perky blonde. I use the word perky in a good way.....your typical college girl. She looks as confused as I am. "Ummm....is Stephanie here?"
"Which one?"
Talk about a question you're not expecting. That one caught me off guard. Only in a college town would you expect a cute blonde to answer the door, only to have another equally cute blonde answer the door and then ask you which Stephanie you are looking for. Well, either a college town or a porno. And last time I checked, I was not blessed with a porn star's body.
As I explained which Stephanie the flowers were for and who they were from, I was met with repeated exclamaitions of "Awwww!" and "Cuuuuuuute!" At this point she turns around and yells upstairs "hey come check out the pretty flowers!" I took that as my cue to leave before I had to explain who I was and what I was doing there to any other college coeds.
Was pretty awkward for this bear, but I managed.
Friday, September 29, 2006
This just in: Rap bad for spelling
I was just reading the "Beavers Blog" on the oregonlive.com website. The writer refers to something as being "ludacris." He's a person, not an adjective.
I was worried about this happening when Fabolous came out with "Can't Deny it." Was a whole generation of children going to grow up misspelling ludicrous and fabulous. I don't get why it's cool to spell your name wrong. Oukast, DJ Quik, DJ Tekneek, I mean come on. Remember when you learned to write, they had you write the sentence "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" because it had every letter of the alphabet in it? Well no more.
These days you'd write "Tha Quik Brown Foxx jumped over tha layzie dawg."
I was worried about this happening when Fabolous came out with "Can't Deny it." Was a whole generation of children going to grow up misspelling ludicrous and fabulous. I don't get why it's cool to spell your name wrong. Oukast, DJ Quik, DJ Tekneek, I mean come on. Remember when you learned to write, they had you write the sentence "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" because it had every letter of the alphabet in it? Well no more.
These days you'd write "Tha Quik Brown Foxx jumped over tha layzie dawg."
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The day I lost to life
If you're keeping score at home, it's Life 1, Andy 0 for the day.
I just had one of those days where you just feel like a failure. From 10:30 to about 3, I had absolutely squat to do at work. My boss was in a meeting, so I couldn't even ask for more stuff to do. Not that there was any. So I just had time to think. And when I have too much time to think, I usually end up thinking something along the lines of "how on earth did you turn out so crappy professionally?"
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the way I've lived my life. I've made some great friends, I don't think I have any enemies. I've been straightforward and honest, I've done a lot of cool things, I married a wonderful woman, I have my own house......but I'm working for $23,000 a year at a job that I'm pretty sure any 15 year old could do. And, like any 15 year old, I'm bitching about my problems on MySpace. Next thing you know I'll be planning an assault on my local high school on this damn website. Seriously kids.....get a clue. If you're going to do something illegal, it's probably not a good idea to write about it on the WORLD WIDE WEB. You know where the entire world can read about it?
How did this happen? Again, I think that if I'd just found some crappy job right out of high school, I'd be better off financially now than I'll probably be three years from now WITH my college degree. Does anyone else see the irony in that? It's just frustrating when I see how successful some of my good friends are. The only difference between them and me is that they started college with a goal. I started with a "whatever, I'll figure it out." Now they're achieving their goals, and I'm busy thanking my lucky stars that my wife is acheiving hers.
There's my infrequent "woe is me" bitch. I don't do it that often, because I know my life is good and I really shouldn't bitch about anything, but that's what blogs are for right? For us to say the things we never say audibly? For us to be self centered? For us to badger our readers with questions?
I just had one of those days where you just feel like a failure. From 10:30 to about 3, I had absolutely squat to do at work. My boss was in a meeting, so I couldn't even ask for more stuff to do. Not that there was any. So I just had time to think. And when I have too much time to think, I usually end up thinking something along the lines of "how on earth did you turn out so crappy professionally?"
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the way I've lived my life. I've made some great friends, I don't think I have any enemies. I've been straightforward and honest, I've done a lot of cool things, I married a wonderful woman, I have my own house......but I'm working for $23,000 a year at a job that I'm pretty sure any 15 year old could do. And, like any 15 year old, I'm bitching about my problems on MySpace. Next thing you know I'll be planning an assault on my local high school on this damn website. Seriously kids.....get a clue. If you're going to do something illegal, it's probably not a good idea to write about it on the WORLD WIDE WEB. You know where the entire world can read about it?
How did this happen? Again, I think that if I'd just found some crappy job right out of high school, I'd be better off financially now than I'll probably be three years from now WITH my college degree. Does anyone else see the irony in that? It's just frustrating when I see how successful some of my good friends are. The only difference between them and me is that they started college with a goal. I started with a "whatever, I'll figure it out." Now they're achieving their goals, and I'm busy thanking my lucky stars that my wife is acheiving hers.
There's my infrequent "woe is me" bitch. I don't do it that often, because I know my life is good and I really shouldn't bitch about anything, but that's what blogs are for right? For us to say the things we never say audibly? For us to be self centered? For us to badger our readers with questions?
Monday, September 25, 2006
Why I love football
Now that I'm out of school, I don't often sit in the student section anymore. Thusly, I'm exposed to an entirely different type of OSU fan. Gone are the shirtless guys screaming obscenities at random opposing linemen. Gone are the girls trying to make a statement by wearing "OSU Drinking Team" shirts that they've cut short and/or tied behind them to make them tighter. I guess that statement is "I'm a drunk whore....come get lucky."
For this weekends game, I sat in the end zone with the everyday fan. It was kind of nice...nobody was obnoxiously drunk, and you didn't have too many of the people who take football WAY too seriously like you would in a season ticket section. You know, the guys who bitch about every call, and are ready to fire the coach after every play that doesn't go for a first down.
Sitting in front of me Saturday night was a guy and his son. His son was probably about 10 years old, and was wearing an OSU jersey and a U of O hat. I wanted to question this kid (and his dad) for his sports polygamy, but I decided I wouldn't want someone someday badgering my son because he was confused. I chalked it up to this kid still trying to figure out his own identity. Anyways, this kid became very interested in everything me and the people I was sitting with said. He chimed in his two cents any chance he got. He got really excited when he overheard us mention that Qdoba was giving out free tacos if OSU scored 40 points. Because we were up 38-0 at the time, the lure of the free taco was the only thing keeping us really interested in the game. This kid then mentioned that OSU should put a powerpuff girl inside the ball so that when they kicked a field goal, she could fly it right through the uprights. I really had no clue how to respond to that one. Apparently his dad didn't either, because he just buried his face in his hands and started shaking his head. I swear his shoulders sagged about 6 inches as well. It was as if he felt he'd failed as a father. Apparently his son wasn't only dealing with his sports identity, but his sexual identity as well. Poor dad. I don't mean to bag on this kid because he was a really nice kid. He just kept shooting himself in the foot everytime he opened his mouth.
It got worse too. When I said something about starting a chant of "Taco, Taco" when we got the ball back, the guy next to me said "Give me a T!" then this kid goes "T! Give me an O!" Which I think made his dad ready to either drink a fifth of tequila or finally pony up the money for private school. This of course got our whole section cheering for a free 'toco' which I think saved the kid a little embarassment and maybe salvaged his father's faith in him.
In other news, on the way to work today I decided to take an alternate route to work because I had a little extra time on my hands. Ya know, just to break up the monotony. I was promptly delayed by the world's longest train. Once the train cleared, I was abruptly stopped again by family of Ducks crossing the street. And they weren't in a hurry either. So I was 5 minutes late. Last time I mess with routine.
For this weekends game, I sat in the end zone with the everyday fan. It was kind of nice...nobody was obnoxiously drunk, and you didn't have too many of the people who take football WAY too seriously like you would in a season ticket section. You know, the guys who bitch about every call, and are ready to fire the coach after every play that doesn't go for a first down.
Sitting in front of me Saturday night was a guy and his son. His son was probably about 10 years old, and was wearing an OSU jersey and a U of O hat. I wanted to question this kid (and his dad) for his sports polygamy, but I decided I wouldn't want someone someday badgering my son because he was confused. I chalked it up to this kid still trying to figure out his own identity. Anyways, this kid became very interested in everything me and the people I was sitting with said. He chimed in his two cents any chance he got. He got really excited when he overheard us mention that Qdoba was giving out free tacos if OSU scored 40 points. Because we were up 38-0 at the time, the lure of the free taco was the only thing keeping us really interested in the game. This kid then mentioned that OSU should put a powerpuff girl inside the ball so that when they kicked a field goal, she could fly it right through the uprights. I really had no clue how to respond to that one. Apparently his dad didn't either, because he just buried his face in his hands and started shaking his head. I swear his shoulders sagged about 6 inches as well. It was as if he felt he'd failed as a father. Apparently his son wasn't only dealing with his sports identity, but his sexual identity as well. Poor dad. I don't mean to bag on this kid because he was a really nice kid. He just kept shooting himself in the foot everytime he opened his mouth.
It got worse too. When I said something about starting a chant of "Taco, Taco" when we got the ball back, the guy next to me said "Give me a T!" then this kid goes "T! Give me an O!" Which I think made his dad ready to either drink a fifth of tequila or finally pony up the money for private school. This of course got our whole section cheering for a free 'toco' which I think saved the kid a little embarassment and maybe salvaged his father's faith in him.
In other news, on the way to work today I decided to take an alternate route to work because I had a little extra time on my hands. Ya know, just to break up the monotony. I was promptly delayed by the world's longest train. Once the train cleared, I was abruptly stopped again by family of Ducks crossing the street. And they weren't in a hurry either. So I was 5 minutes late. Last time I mess with routine.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
A grave injustice
So I just found out that student workers here at the OSU Foundation get a $0.25 an hour raise for every term they work here. If you're making $8 starting, after a year of working here, you'd get $8.75, assuming you don't work summers. that's roughly a 9% raise for your first year. I just completed my first year here, and my raise? A measly 2.5% How does that work? They don't even work full time! Not that I don't appreciate the student workers, since some of them work harder than the full time staff.....but c'mon. This is ri-goddamn-diculous.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Wow
So there were a few articles in the Oregonian about the replay official in the Ducks game last weekend receiving death threats. He says he knows he screwed it up, and he's having trouble sleeping and his blood pressure won't come down and all this stuff. Apparently the guy has been an official since the early 80's and has done Rose Bowls and Fiesta Bowls. Yet he botched this call, and it undoubtedly cost Oklahoma the game. I feel terrible for the guy, for Oklahoma, and basically anyone involved not affiliated with the University of Oregon, who should count this win up to sheer luck. Anyone who says Oklahoma is just being sore losers is right. But wouldn't you be sore if a major game was basically taken away from you because the guy in the replay booth didn't get enough time to go over the play and get it right? Any Oregon fan who tries to say "that's just the way the ball bounces" should be strung up, because they're lying and they know it.
In other news, work is killing me right now. Yesterday we were fairly busy all day, which was nice. Today, I've been working hard all morning, and now I fear I'll have nothing to do this afternoon. Such is life. My coworker claims she's had absolutely no time to do this project our boss gave her a few weeks back, yet when our boss says "you really need to get that done," amazingly she has a full morning to get it done today. This is why I need a new job. What I really need is to start a business so I can hire people that work when there's work to be done and can have fun when times are slow. Who wouldn't want to work at a place like that? Now I just need to figure out what business I'm going to start.
I'm also going to another advising appointment with the college of business this afternoon. Apparently I might not have to take Math 111 after all. I'm going to try and get a comprehensive idea of what I want to do....hopefully this advisor will be more on the level with me.
In other news, work is killing me right now. Yesterday we were fairly busy all day, which was nice. Today, I've been working hard all morning, and now I fear I'll have nothing to do this afternoon. Such is life. My coworker claims she's had absolutely no time to do this project our boss gave her a few weeks back, yet when our boss says "you really need to get that done," amazingly she has a full morning to get it done today. This is why I need a new job. What I really need is to start a business so I can hire people that work when there's work to be done and can have fun when times are slow. Who wouldn't want to work at a place like that? Now I just need to figure out what business I'm going to start.
I'm also going to another advising appointment with the college of business this afternoon. Apparently I might not have to take Math 111 after all. I'm going to try and get a comprehensive idea of what I want to do....hopefully this advisor will be more on the level with me.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wicked!
Last night Rachel and I made a trip up to Portland to see the musical "Wicked." I had an absolute blast. It was amazingly good. I know I'm kind of weird guy, but I don't think there was a person in Keller Auditorium last night that didn't have a great time. At intermission, the lights came on, and EVERYONE was grinning ear to ear and talking about how good it was. I'm not kidding. Not only was it good, it was extremely funny. People were genuinely excited about what they were seeing. While it lost a little steam after intermission, it was still well worth the price of admission. If you have a free night between now and Sunday night and you're going to be in the Portland area, I'd strongly suggest you see about getting tickets. I heard that if you call the auditorium, they sometimes hold same day tickets to sell to people to fill the seats.
The play didn't really follow the book, and that's a good thing. The strange book makes some pretty strange twists and turns on its way to a strange conclusion. The play has a much more defined story line and ties into the original Wizard of Oz much better. While I thought the book was alright, the musical is by far a better time, and it's only about a third as long as the time it'd take you to read the book.
Well I'm off to work.....did I mention my new car gets 25.4 MPG? That's a little better than the 6 I'm used to
The play didn't really follow the book, and that's a good thing. The strange book makes some pretty strange twists and turns on its way to a strange conclusion. The play has a much more defined story line and ties into the original Wizard of Oz much better. While I thought the book was alright, the musical is by far a better time, and it's only about a third as long as the time it'd take you to read the book.
Well I'm off to work.....did I mention my new car gets 25.4 MPG? That's a little better than the 6 I'm used to
Monday, September 11, 2006
Sweet Brown Sugar
After 27 years and 600,000 miles, the time has finally come to put Brown Sugar out to pasture. Rachel and I finally pulled the trigger on a new car, and Saturday we purchased a 2007 Jeep Compass. I'd like to say a few words about the Brown Ford F-250 that has been a part of my life since the day I was born.
Brown Sugar, you've been there my whole life. My dad brought you home the day before I was born. I remember the good times......sitting in a lawn chair in the parking lot at Wilsonville High School, the yearly christmas tree hunts when you triumphantly brought home the symbol of the season, you helping me through the tough times after I totalled the Bronco, your durability and no matter how much you whined and complained, you always started....eventually.
I remember the bad times. The time your rear view mirror just came off the windshield in my hand, dying on Highway 34, running out of gas despite the gas gauge showing there's still juice in the tank on numerous occasions, the overwhelming gasoline smell you developed over the past few months, your strange insistence that third gear is not cool. I know you loved me, but you had a strange way of showing it.
So Thursday night, I will be taking you for one last ride up I-5 back to dad's house, where you will inevitably sit in the driveway and continue to rust. The hole in your floor will get bigger, the moss in the back window will continue to flourish. We'll still take you on christmas tree hunts if you'll let us, but your daily drives are a thing of the past.
Anyone who wants to join in the funeral train from Corvallis to Tigard is welcome to follow along in a silent drive up I-5 on Thursday night. As a show of respect to Brown Sugar, we ask that you disable your right headlight and drive with "one eye open." It's the only way Brown Sugar would want it.
Brown Sugar, you've been there my whole life. My dad brought you home the day before I was born. I remember the good times......sitting in a lawn chair in the parking lot at Wilsonville High School, the yearly christmas tree hunts when you triumphantly brought home the symbol of the season, you helping me through the tough times after I totalled the Bronco, your durability and no matter how much you whined and complained, you always started....eventually.
I remember the bad times. The time your rear view mirror just came off the windshield in my hand, dying on Highway 34, running out of gas despite the gas gauge showing there's still juice in the tank on numerous occasions, the overwhelming gasoline smell you developed over the past few months, your strange insistence that third gear is not cool. I know you loved me, but you had a strange way of showing it.
So Thursday night, I will be taking you for one last ride up I-5 back to dad's house, where you will inevitably sit in the driveway and continue to rust. The hole in your floor will get bigger, the moss in the back window will continue to flourish. We'll still take you on christmas tree hunts if you'll let us, but your daily drives are a thing of the past.
Anyone who wants to join in the funeral train from Corvallis to Tigard is welcome to follow along in a silent drive up I-5 on Thursday night. As a show of respect to Brown Sugar, we ask that you disable your right headlight and drive with "one eye open." It's the only way Brown Sugar would want it.
Friday, September 8, 2006
I drank beer?
Yes, it finally happened. I can't believe I forgot to mention this.
At the reception last week in Wisconsin I was talking to Rachel's friend Heidi. I was sipping my water and being the good listener I am, I was not looking at my drink. So when I set it down right next to cup of Miller Lite, I did not notice. Nor did I notice when I picked up the Miller. But I definitely noticed when I took a sip and my mouth instantly registered that something was wrong. So I did the natural thing. I got the foreign substance out of my body as quickly as possible. I accomplished this feat by opening my mouth and letting gravity take whatever was in it (I'm told that's what beer tastes like) out of my mouth. So basically I just spit a mouthful of beer all over the table. Fortunately, Heidi was the only one who saw this, but I'm told that I had a look of utter shock and horror on my face. She thought it was hilarious. I was scarred. Definitely not the highlight of the weekend.
To those of you who drink......how do you drink that shit? It tastes like...well I don't know what it tastes like, but I know I didn't like it.
At the reception last week in Wisconsin I was talking to Rachel's friend Heidi. I was sipping my water and being the good listener I am, I was not looking at my drink. So when I set it down right next to cup of Miller Lite, I did not notice. Nor did I notice when I picked up the Miller. But I definitely noticed when I took a sip and my mouth instantly registered that something was wrong. So I did the natural thing. I got the foreign substance out of my body as quickly as possible. I accomplished this feat by opening my mouth and letting gravity take whatever was in it (I'm told that's what beer tastes like) out of my mouth. So basically I just spit a mouthful of beer all over the table. Fortunately, Heidi was the only one who saw this, but I'm told that I had a look of utter shock and horror on my face. She thought it was hilarious. I was scarred. Definitely not the highlight of the weekend.
To those of you who drink......how do you drink that shit? It tastes like...well I don't know what it tastes like, but I know I didn't like it.
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Back on the job
Well, my summer of fun is over. I bought a house, I got married, I went to Hawaii, and I've just returned from a second reception in Wisconsin. That was a lot of fun. The Sports Guy wrote a column about his trip to Milwaukee on ESPN.com last week, and what he said is so true.....it's really like people in Wisconsin didn't get the memo that eating obscene amounts of red meat and cholesterol laden foods was bad for you. I think in the five days I was there, I probably took five years off my life. Nothing but burgers, brats, frozen custard, cheesy potatoes, bacon, chicken wings and the like for 5 straight days. It was good, but by last night, I was actually missing the feeling of an empty stomach. I'm going to try and quit the Wisconsin diet cold turkey and switch to a diet of cheerios and baked potatoes for the next few days to see if I can somehow get my body back to feeling like a well oiled machine rather than an overfull water balloon.
The other thing I learned is that Wisconsin is not the barren wasteland I've seen in the winters. That place is greener than Oregon in the summers. See, while we get rain 9 months of the year, they get a little bit year round. So there were trees and fields of corn and some of the greenest grass you've ever seen everywhere! It was really a beautiful place, and I'm sorry I'd only seen it in sub-zero temperatures with nothing was living prior. Everyone was so nice to us there too. It's a great place to visit. I don't think I could handle winters there though. I like being able to feel my face when I go outside.
If you are ever in the midwest and you come across a culver's restaurant....stop and get a butter burger. It sounds gross, but trust me, it's fantastic.
The other thing I learned is that Wisconsin is not the barren wasteland I've seen in the winters. That place is greener than Oregon in the summers. See, while we get rain 9 months of the year, they get a little bit year round. So there were trees and fields of corn and some of the greenest grass you've ever seen everywhere! It was really a beautiful place, and I'm sorry I'd only seen it in sub-zero temperatures with nothing was living prior. Everyone was so nice to us there too. It's a great place to visit. I don't think I could handle winters there though. I like being able to feel my face when I go outside.
If you are ever in the midwest and you come across a culver's restaurant....stop and get a butter burger. It sounds gross, but trust me, it's fantastic.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Today blows
I woke up this morning with some weird scratch on my chin. I don't think it happened during the basketball game last night, because I think either Rachel or I would've noticed it. So apparently she scratched me while sleeping last night. Or I scratched myself. Probably the latter. Then I get in Brown Sugar, which smells extra gassy, and head to work with the intention of getting gas at the Shell station on 9th.
I ran out of gas on 99 just as you turn onto Conifer. So I had to push the truck out of harms way, then walk to the gas station and get the can filled up. Turns out, that can has a leak. So I had to walk back to the truck with a full 6 gallon gas can held upside down practically over my head. It was basically the baton death march. My arms are a little wobbly still.
Anyways, I got gassed up and made to to work half an hour late, but now not only do I have gas fumes on me, I have actual gas. I'm probably making it very uncomfortable for everyone even remotely close to me. Hell, I can't even stand the smell of myself.
I hate today.
I ran out of gas on 99 just as you turn onto Conifer. So I had to push the truck out of harms way, then walk to the gas station and get the can filled up. Turns out, that can has a leak. So I had to walk back to the truck with a full 6 gallon gas can held upside down practically over my head. It was basically the baton death march. My arms are a little wobbly still.
Anyways, I got gassed up and made to to work half an hour late, but now not only do I have gas fumes on me, I have actual gas. I'm probably making it very uncomfortable for everyone even remotely close to me. Hell, I can't even stand the smell of myself.
I hate today.
Monday, August 28, 2006
And the winner is.....
I don't get awards shows. They run too long, and everybody bitches about it. Then they do all these things to speed it up which just make the whole thing weird. They're interrupting people's speeches with music, they have people walking out onto the stage while other people are finishing up, they hand out two awards at the same time......the whole thing seems just way too spastic. I couldn't handle the emmy's last night. I felt like I needed to drink some Jolt Cola just to keep up with what was going on. Personally, I'd rather they just kept it running long and let people talk and enjoy the fact that they just won a damn Emmy! I mean, if you won an Emmy, wouldn't you want to be able to thank people and talk about what it meant to you without some scrawny conductor cutting you off after you say "I'd like to thank everyone that".....and here comes some Beethoven number. Strange.
Three days of work this week and then we're off to Wisconsin for our reception in Rachel's hometown. It's a bit insane that we're having 225 people at this thing when we only had about 145 at the actual wedding. All this means is that more people love Rachel than love me. Well, either that, or her extended family is huge, and they all happen to live within 40 miles of each other.
Grant and my dad didn't book their hotel soon enough, and it turns out nearly every hotel (all 4 of them) in Richland Center was booked solid. Why, you ask, would a town of 5,000 people be completely booked? Why, because the Miss Wisconsin pageant is being held in R.C. that weekend! I don't know why that is so amusing to me, but it makes me laugh. Anyways, so Grant and Dad weren't able to get into the hotel we're in the first two nights. I guess they got into some dive that had one room left, and it only has one double bed. Hope you're comfy guys!
Steve asked me to be an usher in his wedding, and said that instead of making us rent tuxes, we could just wear suits. That Steve, always looking out for his friends, trying to save them a few dollars. Then again, I don't own a suit, so this is going to cost me more than renting a tux would. I guess now's as good a time as any to get myself a suit.
I wonder what the average age of buying your first suit is. I'm betting I'm about 3 or 4 years behind the curve. But then again, it took me 7 years to get a bachelor's degree, so I guess I'm right on time......Lasselle time.
Three days of work this week and then we're off to Wisconsin for our reception in Rachel's hometown. It's a bit insane that we're having 225 people at this thing when we only had about 145 at the actual wedding. All this means is that more people love Rachel than love me. Well, either that, or her extended family is huge, and they all happen to live within 40 miles of each other.
Grant and my dad didn't book their hotel soon enough, and it turns out nearly every hotel (all 4 of them) in Richland Center was booked solid. Why, you ask, would a town of 5,000 people be completely booked? Why, because the Miss Wisconsin pageant is being held in R.C. that weekend! I don't know why that is so amusing to me, but it makes me laugh. Anyways, so Grant and Dad weren't able to get into the hotel we're in the first two nights. I guess they got into some dive that had one room left, and it only has one double bed. Hope you're comfy guys!
Steve asked me to be an usher in his wedding, and said that instead of making us rent tuxes, we could just wear suits. That Steve, always looking out for his friends, trying to save them a few dollars. Then again, I don't own a suit, so this is going to cost me more than renting a tux would. I guess now's as good a time as any to get myself a suit.
I wonder what the average age of buying your first suit is. I'm betting I'm about 3 or 4 years behind the curve. But then again, it took me 7 years to get a bachelor's degree, so I guess I'm right on time......Lasselle time.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Bite me in the ass, OSU
So you know that saying the past is the past? Not at OSU apparently.
That "D" I got in writing 121 back in the fall of 1997 is now preventing me from pursuing a degree.
Lemme set this up for you. Back in '97 I had this long haired hippie grad student teaching my 121 class. On the first day of class he goes into this thing about how this "isn't high school anymore" blah blah blah. Basically if we did the assignment and met all his requirements we would get a "C." If it was good and he could tell we worked on it, it was a "B." What's an "A" you ask? Well, to him, an "A" was only handed out if your paper was "art."
Art?
So yeah......basically I bust my ass and the only thing I get out of it is a C or C- on everything. So I basically throw in the towel, turn in my last two papers weeks early and stop going to class. Thus, the D.
Now, I can't have a D in any class applicable to a business degree to be accepted into the college of business. So I have to retake Writing 121. But they don't let people whose last name start with L to take WR121 in the fall. So I have to wait until winter. During that time, I could be taking other classes that aren't CoB (College of Business) classes, but the problem is I can't take classes until a college accepts me. So I have to find another college on campus that will accept me. And if I get all this done, then in the spring, after I've taken WR 121, then I can re-apply to the CoB.
So, if I want to take accounting classes (I do), I could start taking them at the earliest in the spring of '07. That is, if they offer the first class in the series in the spring.
(They don't)
In summary....my progress towards an accounting degree is being delayed by a year, during which time I'll have to take the same class (along with other entry level classes) I took nearly a decade ago with students who are nearly a decade younger than me, all because of a Nazi who didn't think my writing was fucking "art?"
BRING IT ON!
That "D" I got in writing 121 back in the fall of 1997 is now preventing me from pursuing a degree.
Lemme set this up for you. Back in '97 I had this long haired hippie grad student teaching my 121 class. On the first day of class he goes into this thing about how this "isn't high school anymore" blah blah blah. Basically if we did the assignment and met all his requirements we would get a "C." If it was good and he could tell we worked on it, it was a "B." What's an "A" you ask? Well, to him, an "A" was only handed out if your paper was "art."
Art?
So yeah......basically I bust my ass and the only thing I get out of it is a C or C- on everything. So I basically throw in the towel, turn in my last two papers weeks early and stop going to class. Thus, the D.
Now, I can't have a D in any class applicable to a business degree to be accepted into the college of business. So I have to retake Writing 121. But they don't let people whose last name start with L to take WR121 in the fall. So I have to wait until winter. During that time, I could be taking other classes that aren't CoB (College of Business) classes, but the problem is I can't take classes until a college accepts me. So I have to find another college on campus that will accept me. And if I get all this done, then in the spring, after I've taken WR 121, then I can re-apply to the CoB.
So, if I want to take accounting classes (I do), I could start taking them at the earliest in the spring of '07. That is, if they offer the first class in the series in the spring.
(They don't)
In summary....my progress towards an accounting degree is being delayed by a year, during which time I'll have to take the same class (along with other entry level classes) I took nearly a decade ago with students who are nearly a decade younger than me, all because of a Nazi who didn't think my writing was fucking "art?"
BRING IT ON!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
wisdom from a cookie is crummy
So my fortune cookie today told me that "an admirer finds you charming." Really? That's news? I'm supposed to be shocked that someone who admires me finds me charming? Isn't that what admirers do? Way to go out on a limb there cookie.
In other news, it's been almost two months since my wedding. In that time, I haven't heard from one of my groomsmen once, despite repeated calls and emails. Not sure what to make of this. I hope he's alright, though I think I would've heard if he was dead. So it's been more fun to make up stories about what he's been doing. My latest is that he's running drugs through a tunnel under the border to help pay off medical bills. I hope he's not avoiding me because he owes me $80....cause I'd hope he realizes that our friendship is worth a little more than tuxedo rental money.
In other news, it's been almost two months since my wedding. In that time, I haven't heard from one of my groomsmen once, despite repeated calls and emails. Not sure what to make of this. I hope he's alright, though I think I would've heard if he was dead. So it's been more fun to make up stories about what he's been doing. My latest is that he's running drugs through a tunnel under the border to help pay off medical bills. I hope he's not avoiding me because he owes me $80....cause I'd hope he realizes that our friendship is worth a little more than tuxedo rental money.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
I never thought I'd see the day that something on the internet made me cry. Then I saw this. I wasn't bawling, but I did get misty eyed and had to wipe my eyes. Just read the story and watch the clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPrL3n63yg
Strongest Dad in the World
[From Sports Illustrated, by Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;" Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on hi brain."
"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to the control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."
That day changed Rick's life "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair comptetitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for the "awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case ou don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.
"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."
So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPrL3n63yg
Strongest Dad in the World
[From Sports Illustrated, by Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;" Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on hi brain."
"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.
Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to the control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."
That day changed Rick's life "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair comptetitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for the "awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case ou don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.
"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."
So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once
Monday, August 21, 2006
I used up all my sick days so I called in dead
Well we're back from our Honeymoon. Actually, since a member or members of our respective families were present for a good portion of the trip, we dubbed it our "familymoon," or as they'd say in Hawaii, "ohanamoon."
Chicago was amazing.....great city. We got to tour Wrigley Field, which was really cool. No wonder people in that city love the Cubs. The stadium is built right in the middle of a neighborhood....it truly is like rooting for the team down the block. Great atmosphere, and I didn't even get to see a game there.
No matter how many times you go to Hawaii, it never gets old. The most exciting thing we did there was take a trip out in the ocean on a yacht that raced in the America's Cup. While we couldn't get it up to racing speed, it was still pretty cool. But other than that, it was a whole lot of laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and eating. Great times.
The worst part of any vacation is coming home. We actually pulled into our driveway last night about 2 in the morning, and here it is less than 5 hours later and I'm already dressed and ready to head to work. Not exactly easing back into things after a week and a half off. It'll be a miracle if I can keep it together through the whole day and don't end up relapsing into vacation and just getting up halfway through the morning, throwing on a swimsuit and going to lay in the grass outside the office.
The good news is that I only have to work a week and a half, and then it's off to Wisconsin for our second reception in Rachel's hometown. I swear, this is the wedding that never ends. By the time we finish that reception, we'll have had just about two full months between the start of wedding activities and the end of them. Not that I'm complaining. We've received more gifts and well wishes than I ever could've dreamed possible. Our friends and family have been amazing.
Chicago was amazing.....great city. We got to tour Wrigley Field, which was really cool. No wonder people in that city love the Cubs. The stadium is built right in the middle of a neighborhood....it truly is like rooting for the team down the block. Great atmosphere, and I didn't even get to see a game there.
No matter how many times you go to Hawaii, it never gets old. The most exciting thing we did there was take a trip out in the ocean on a yacht that raced in the America's Cup. While we couldn't get it up to racing speed, it was still pretty cool. But other than that, it was a whole lot of laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and eating. Great times.
The worst part of any vacation is coming home. We actually pulled into our driveway last night about 2 in the morning, and here it is less than 5 hours later and I'm already dressed and ready to head to work. Not exactly easing back into things after a week and a half off. It'll be a miracle if I can keep it together through the whole day and don't end up relapsing into vacation and just getting up halfway through the morning, throwing on a swimsuit and going to lay in the grass outside the office.
The good news is that I only have to work a week and a half, and then it's off to Wisconsin for our second reception in Rachel's hometown. I swear, this is the wedding that never ends. By the time we finish that reception, we'll have had just about two full months between the start of wedding activities and the end of them. Not that I'm complaining. We've received more gifts and well wishes than I ever could've dreamed possible. Our friends and family have been amazing.
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Another trip around the sun
So when do you become old? Do you remember which birthday made you go "damn, how did that happen?" This is that birthday for me. August 8, 2006 is the day Andy Lasselle finally felt old. I never really had issue with the aging process until today. All of a sudden, I realized that I'm 27, working a job I'm not really satisfied with, and my hopes of ever dunking a basketball again (I did it once in high school, just once) are flying farther out the window with every second.
So how do you combat these feelings of mortality? Some people stay up all night watching movies like they did when they were younger. Some relive the college days by binge drinking and sleeping in 'til 2 pm the next day. Some buy a fancy sports car.
Me, I'm going back to school.
Yup you read that right. I'm 99% sure I'm going back to school. No offense to anyone that makes $25,000 a year (I know it's a reality for most of us) but I just don't want to settle for that. And with the way I frittered away my first stint in college, I owe it to myself to go back and be a STUDENT rather than just "go to college." And believe me, I went to college. I probably went to college more than most people. I spent 7 years meeting people, attending sporting events, partying, hitting the bars on Thursdays, flirting with the sorority girls across the street, eating at Shari's twice in a 4 hour period....once at 2 am on our way home, and again at 6 am to kick off a road trip to California.
So cross your fingers and take a deep breath. I'm going back to try and better myself and provide a more financially stable future for me and my wife.
Happy birthday, Andy, here's some homework.
So how do you combat these feelings of mortality? Some people stay up all night watching movies like they did when they were younger. Some relive the college days by binge drinking and sleeping in 'til 2 pm the next day. Some buy a fancy sports car.
Me, I'm going back to school.
Yup you read that right. I'm 99% sure I'm going back to school. No offense to anyone that makes $25,000 a year (I know it's a reality for most of us) but I just don't want to settle for that. And with the way I frittered away my first stint in college, I owe it to myself to go back and be a STUDENT rather than just "go to college." And believe me, I went to college. I probably went to college more than most people. I spent 7 years meeting people, attending sporting events, partying, hitting the bars on Thursdays, flirting with the sorority girls across the street, eating at Shari's twice in a 4 hour period....once at 2 am on our way home, and again at 6 am to kick off a road trip to California.
So cross your fingers and take a deep breath. I'm going back to try and better myself and provide a more financially stable future for me and my wife.
Happy birthday, Andy, here's some homework.
Monday, August 7, 2006
MTV.....For those with short attention spans
So I've started watching MTV in the mornings while I work out on the elliptical. It's about the only time they show music videos, which are pretty much the best thing MTV shows, and the reason they even have a channel. I suppose you could argue that shows like True Life: I'm trying to go celibate and My Super Sweet 16 are good shows because they are so damn amusing, but really you know you're going to hell for contributing to these nobody's thinking they're a big deal.
Anyways, I started this yesterday, watching 45 minutes of video. I was a little upset when they showed the video for Army of Me's "Going Through Changes" twice in a span of 15 minutes, but because they were starting the "Big 10" videos at 7 am, I let it slide. Thought it was bad programming to show a video you knew was going to be 10 in a few minutes, but whatever.......
Until they did it again today. Not only that, but I saw three of the same videos I saw in the same 45 minute span yesterday again today. Seriously, are there that few music videos out there? Couldn't you squeeze in a few throwback videos? Like who wouldn't get excited if after a few current videos a classic like Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" or Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love" came on? Come on people.
I'm giving MTV one more day to shape up, or I'm switching to VH-1 or CMT. I may have to go to something like this:
Monday - MTV
Tuesday - VH-1
Wednesday - CMT
Thursday - ESPN
Friday - CNN
I'm a little iffy about Thursday and Friday because I usually watch Sportscenter in the evenings so I know what happened already, and I'm always worried that CNN will be running some story into the ground (as is customary with the news programs these days......really, having some guy camped outside Michael Vick's house saying "There's really been no activity here over the past week, but here's what we do know....." is not doing it for me.)
If any of you out there watch TV in the mornings and have something that holds your interest, please let me know. I don't know how many more times I can hear some group called the Plain White T's (is that the best they could come up with?) sing about Delilah doing her thing in NYC. Furthermore, who would name their daughter Delilah? Are there people out there who don't know how she totally screwed over Sampson? She's like the most hated woman in the history of the world! But thanks to these T-shirt guys, hundreds of teenage mothers are going to name their daughters Delilah. Nothing like starting them out on the wrong foot!
Anyways, I started this yesterday, watching 45 minutes of video. I was a little upset when they showed the video for Army of Me's "Going Through Changes" twice in a span of 15 minutes, but because they were starting the "Big 10" videos at 7 am, I let it slide. Thought it was bad programming to show a video you knew was going to be 10 in a few minutes, but whatever.......
Until they did it again today. Not only that, but I saw three of the same videos I saw in the same 45 minute span yesterday again today. Seriously, are there that few music videos out there? Couldn't you squeeze in a few throwback videos? Like who wouldn't get excited if after a few current videos a classic like Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" or Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love" came on? Come on people.
I'm giving MTV one more day to shape up, or I'm switching to VH-1 or CMT. I may have to go to something like this:
Monday - MTV
Tuesday - VH-1
Wednesday - CMT
Thursday - ESPN
Friday - CNN
I'm a little iffy about Thursday and Friday because I usually watch Sportscenter in the evenings so I know what happened already, and I'm always worried that CNN will be running some story into the ground (as is customary with the news programs these days......really, having some guy camped outside Michael Vick's house saying "There's really been no activity here over the past week, but here's what we do know....." is not doing it for me.)
If any of you out there watch TV in the mornings and have something that holds your interest, please let me know. I don't know how many more times I can hear some group called the Plain White T's (is that the best they could come up with?) sing about Delilah doing her thing in NYC. Furthermore, who would name their daughter Delilah? Are there people out there who don't know how she totally screwed over Sampson? She's like the most hated woman in the history of the world! But thanks to these T-shirt guys, hundreds of teenage mothers are going to name their daughters Delilah. Nothing like starting them out on the wrong foot!
Friday, August 4, 2006
Lance Armstrong and the wisdom of Dale
Yesterday was just a strange day. Across the board.
On my way to work, I was cruising down Highway 20, when I look into the river and see a guy floating down the river in an inflatable raft. At 7:30 in the morning. By himself. Without a fishing pole. Have no clue what he was doing. About 2 minutes later, I pass an incredibly obese man on a recumbent bike - one with hand pedals. He looked like he'd been pedaling for hours, the sweat was just pouring off of him. Not 50 yards past him, I see this guy dressed like he's out to be the next Lance Armstrong. Full Tour de France gear. The Oakley shades, shiny racing shirt and tight spandex shorts, aerodynamic helmet. Only he's not biking. He's got a bike with him, but he's trying to track a bird with his camera phone. Seriously. This guy broke from his workout to try and get a grainy picture of a bird in motion on his motorola. You've got to be kidding me. But no, the drive was not done. A few minutes later, I pass a guy dressed like he just got off the set of Miami Vice, just strolling along the highway listening to his I-pod. Strange stuff.
Then last night I head out to the hay field, where Dad starts just dropping knowledge all over the place. He actually equated driving a stacker to Tom Sawyer. I didn't even know he'd read Tom Sawyer. But nothing prepared me for his next nugget of golden knowledge.
We're talking about hunting season, and someone said something along the lines of "hunting with a rifle is retarded. You should hunt with a bow," to which dad said "you should hunt with a camera."
Thank you Dalefucious.
On my way to work, I was cruising down Highway 20, when I look into the river and see a guy floating down the river in an inflatable raft. At 7:30 in the morning. By himself. Without a fishing pole. Have no clue what he was doing. About 2 minutes later, I pass an incredibly obese man on a recumbent bike - one with hand pedals. He looked like he'd been pedaling for hours, the sweat was just pouring off of him. Not 50 yards past him, I see this guy dressed like he's out to be the next Lance Armstrong. Full Tour de France gear. The Oakley shades, shiny racing shirt and tight spandex shorts, aerodynamic helmet. Only he's not biking. He's got a bike with him, but he's trying to track a bird with his camera phone. Seriously. This guy broke from his workout to try and get a grainy picture of a bird in motion on his motorola. You've got to be kidding me. But no, the drive was not done. A few minutes later, I pass a guy dressed like he just got off the set of Miami Vice, just strolling along the highway listening to his I-pod. Strange stuff.
Then last night I head out to the hay field, where Dad starts just dropping knowledge all over the place. He actually equated driving a stacker to Tom Sawyer. I didn't even know he'd read Tom Sawyer. But nothing prepared me for his next nugget of golden knowledge.
We're talking about hunting season, and someone said something along the lines of "hunting with a rifle is retarded. You should hunt with a bow," to which dad said "you should hunt with a camera."
Thank you Dalefucious.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Remember when?
Remember a year or so ago, when everyone was all over OSU's football program for its "indescretions?" You remember, one was with a guy who drank himself to death, one was involved in a brawl at the bar, one stole a sheep, and a few tried to pay for cab fare with weed. Well, browsing ESPN.com's college football site, the top stories include the following
-Two Sooners Dismissed (players submitted time-sheets for 40 hour weeks when they only worked 5...netting $18,000 in unworked wages each)
-Auburn benches 2 LBs (one was driving drunk and blew a .13, the other was walking drunk and happened to be underage)
-Miami Benches 4 players (no word on what they did, but it was something they all did together)
-4th Volunteer Player arrested since May (Dude was driving drunk and failed 4 field sobriety tests. No word on the others)
-Jailed San Jose St. Player charged with 13 more crimes. This is my favorite and I decided to provide the full text of the story below.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A San Jose State University football player jailed in Tulare County on robbery charges was charged with 13 additional crimes for allegedly using classified ads on the Craigslist Web site to lure other robbery victims.
Ellis T. Jones III, 20, was charged Thursday with robbery, false imprisonment and other crimes for allegedly getting potential buyers to meet him and then zapping them with a Taser or threatening them with a gun in four June stickups in San Jose.
Jones had already been suspended from the football team after his July 10 arrest on charges he robbed a pizzeria and occupants of a home in Visalia in Tulare County.
Coach Dick Tomey said Jones was expected to compete for a starting cornerback slot this fall and had never had disciplinary problems.
My point is, it seemed that everyone felt that our football program was somehow more criminal and lawless than other programs. Simply not the case. It's a nationwide epidemic among young, talented athletes that are given everything and come to expect preferential treatment. I mean, you give a kid a free pair of shoes when he turns 13 and tell him not to worry about school because he's going to be a star, and what do you think is going to happen?
-Two Sooners Dismissed (players submitted time-sheets for 40 hour weeks when they only worked 5...netting $18,000 in unworked wages each)
-Auburn benches 2 LBs (one was driving drunk and blew a .13, the other was walking drunk and happened to be underage)
-Miami Benches 4 players (no word on what they did, but it was something they all did together)
-4th Volunteer Player arrested since May (Dude was driving drunk and failed 4 field sobriety tests. No word on the others)
-Jailed San Jose St. Player charged with 13 more crimes. This is my favorite and I decided to provide the full text of the story below.
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A San Jose State University football player jailed in Tulare County on robbery charges was charged with 13 additional crimes for allegedly using classified ads on the Craigslist Web site to lure other robbery victims.
Ellis T. Jones III, 20, was charged Thursday with robbery, false imprisonment and other crimes for allegedly getting potential buyers to meet him and then zapping them with a Taser or threatening them with a gun in four June stickups in San Jose.
Jones had already been suspended from the football team after his July 10 arrest on charges he robbed a pizzeria and occupants of a home in Visalia in Tulare County.
Coach Dick Tomey said Jones was expected to compete for a starting cornerback slot this fall and had never had disciplinary problems.
My point is, it seemed that everyone felt that our football program was somehow more criminal and lawless than other programs. Simply not the case. It's a nationwide epidemic among young, talented athletes that are given everything and come to expect preferential treatment. I mean, you give a kid a free pair of shoes when he turns 13 and tell him not to worry about school because he's going to be a star, and what do you think is going to happen?
Monday, July 31, 2006
Another week on the grind
Well remember that hellacious sunburn I was telling you about? I'm now peeling. But this isn't normal peeling. This is like when a snake sheds its skin. It's crazy. There's damn near a whole Andy-skin coming off of me. Itches like hell and makes it hard to sleep. But enough about that.
It was nice having a weekend with nothing to do. We just kind of hung out. Went to Red Robin with Cory and Amy, watched a couple movies, watched some baseball on tv, finished our thank you's.....pretty relaxing. We even got in a few games of Sequence. Rachel whupped me good. I'll have to get her back here tonight or something.
There's this place in town that has a sign above it that says "Our customers voted us best oil-change!" Ummmmm, of course they did! They're your customers. If they thought another place was better, they'd go there idiots. That sign cracks me up everytime I see it.
Alright off to work...hopefully they've got stuff for me to do this morning. Peace!
It was nice having a weekend with nothing to do. We just kind of hung out. Went to Red Robin with Cory and Amy, watched a couple movies, watched some baseball on tv, finished our thank you's.....pretty relaxing. We even got in a few games of Sequence. Rachel whupped me good. I'll have to get her back here tonight or something.
There's this place in town that has a sign above it that says "Our customers voted us best oil-change!" Ummmmm, of course they did! They're your customers. If they thought another place was better, they'd go there idiots. That sign cracks me up everytime I see it.
Alright off to work...hopefully they've got stuff for me to do this morning. Peace!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Misguided idealism
What the hell were these two guys thinking? How does their action represent in any way what they are trying to accomplish?
LIVERPOOL, England -- A man who threw purple dye on the 18th green at the British Open was sentenced Tuesday to eight weeks in jail.
Police officers clear up paint bombs that were thrown onto the 18th green by protestors at the British Open on Sunday.
Paul Addison, 40, pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal damage at the Wirral Magistrates Court near Liverpool. Stephen Fletcher, 35, was sentenced to five weeks of unpaid community services after pleading guilty to the same charges.
The two said they represented a group called "Real Fathers 4 Justice." The group is a campaign for father's rights in child custody cases.
Though they left purple stains on the grass as Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia approached the final hole Sunday at Hoylake, the players didn't seem affected. Woods made a par putt to win the tournament by two shots.
LIVERPOOL, England -- A man who threw purple dye on the 18th green at the British Open was sentenced Tuesday to eight weeks in jail.
Police officers clear up paint bombs that were thrown onto the 18th green by protestors at the British Open on Sunday.
Paul Addison, 40, pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal damage at the Wirral Magistrates Court near Liverpool. Stephen Fletcher, 35, was sentenced to five weeks of unpaid community services after pleading guilty to the same charges.
The two said they represented a group called "Real Fathers 4 Justice." The group is a campaign for father's rights in child custody cases.
Though they left purple stains on the grass as Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia approached the final hole Sunday at Hoylake, the players didn't seem affected. Woods made a par putt to win the tournament by two shots.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Weekend to remember (and forget)
Well the weekend is over. And I don't know how I feel about that. Thursday, Rachel and I bought a HD DVD player to go with our new TV. Only then did we find out you need a special cable to connect it to your TV. Of course, this cable is not included with the DVD Player. So off I go to Radio Shack. There, the guy tells me "I know exactly what you need." He hands me this cable, and says "that'll be $90." For a cable! So I say something along the lines of "are you fucking serious?" And he says "dude, it's worth it." And I say 'for that amount of money I have no doubt, but I don't think my wife will see it that way." And he says "all you gotta do is plug in your old DVD player, watch a little bit, and then switch to this new puppy and she'll understand. That's what I did with my wife." Obviously, this man is not married to Rachel. So I buy it anyways, then figure I'll either convince Rachel or she'll make me return it. Before I even have a chance to say anything she goes "please tell me that cord did not cost $90." She'd already checked the balance on our account! I stammered through something like "I know, I promise I'll stop spending money on electronics, but we need this cord to make our DVD purchase worth it." She immediately gets online and finds damn near the same cord at WalMart for $31. That's why I love Rachel. She keeps money in my wallet.
Friday the heat started. I had to get the oil changed in Brown Sugar, who acted more like the Brown Habanero Pepper all weekend. It was a damn sauna in there. I'm sitting there at Oil Can Henry's and the guy basically tells me I need a new engine (tell me something I didn't know) and i'm sweating my ass off. By the time I got back to work, I had a sweat line across my shirt from the seat belt. Very professional.
Saturday, I drove Grant out to the hay field and then Rachel and I made a trip to home depot and Radio Shack to return my ill advised purchase. Following that, we went out to the Linn County Fair, because Rachel's company was letting all employees and their families in for free, plus hosting a free lunch. These were some of the best hot dogs ever. So after three hot dogs and a cremesicle, it was starting to get pretty toasty at the fair. So we headed up to Salem to see You, Me and Dupree. Great movie, though the whole time I'm watching I'm thinking "Dude, if you hadn't met Rachel, you'd totally be a Dupree." I was well on my way to living on a friend's couch, being totally adrift in the sea of life.
Sunday, Rachel and I were supposed to drive my mom and stepdad over to Corvallis so they could kayak from Corvallis to Albany. Somehow, they convinced us to go with them. So we drove all over Corvallis looking for innertubes. We finally bought a couple of inflatable dinghys for $14.99 each (paddles included!) Only thing is that we didn't read the fine print that said 190 lbs max! Now being a good 60 lbs more than the limit, I was a little worried. But the thing kept me afloat, though I had to bail myself out a few times. It was probably 20 degrees cooler on the river, so that was great. What wasn't great is the hellacious sunburn I now have. It hurts to move, because my entire front half is red. I look like a lobster on one side and a snowbank on the other. Ridiculous, and very very painful. I'm bathed in banana boat right now, and it's all I can smell and it's making me nauseous. Ah well, I'd rather get burnt now than when I'm on vacation in Hawaii in two and a half weeks!
Friday the heat started. I had to get the oil changed in Brown Sugar, who acted more like the Brown Habanero Pepper all weekend. It was a damn sauna in there. I'm sitting there at Oil Can Henry's and the guy basically tells me I need a new engine (tell me something I didn't know) and i'm sweating my ass off. By the time I got back to work, I had a sweat line across my shirt from the seat belt. Very professional.
Saturday, I drove Grant out to the hay field and then Rachel and I made a trip to home depot and Radio Shack to return my ill advised purchase. Following that, we went out to the Linn County Fair, because Rachel's company was letting all employees and their families in for free, plus hosting a free lunch. These were some of the best hot dogs ever. So after three hot dogs and a cremesicle, it was starting to get pretty toasty at the fair. So we headed up to Salem to see You, Me and Dupree. Great movie, though the whole time I'm watching I'm thinking "Dude, if you hadn't met Rachel, you'd totally be a Dupree." I was well on my way to living on a friend's couch, being totally adrift in the sea of life.
Sunday, Rachel and I were supposed to drive my mom and stepdad over to Corvallis so they could kayak from Corvallis to Albany. Somehow, they convinced us to go with them. So we drove all over Corvallis looking for innertubes. We finally bought a couple of inflatable dinghys for $14.99 each (paddles included!) Only thing is that we didn't read the fine print that said 190 lbs max! Now being a good 60 lbs more than the limit, I was a little worried. But the thing kept me afloat, though I had to bail myself out a few times. It was probably 20 degrees cooler on the river, so that was great. What wasn't great is the hellacious sunburn I now have. It hurts to move, because my entire front half is red. I look like a lobster on one side and a snowbank on the other. Ridiculous, and very very painful. I'm bathed in banana boat right now, and it's all I can smell and it's making me nauseous. Ah well, I'd rather get burnt now than when I'm on vacation in Hawaii in two and a half weeks!
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The rundown
Things that make me happy:
- being married
- having a job
- our new 50" DLP TV
- playing basketball
- Amazing amount of gifts received for our wedding
Things that make me grumpy:
- leaving my wedding ring on the counter this morning (10 days in and I'm already leaving the most important symbol of our marriage next to the soap dish....nice)
- Not having anything to do at work so I just sit here and try to look busy
- Finding out that DLP TV's are the worst Hi-Def TV's for video game play.....not that I'm going to give it back because I bought it for watching TV not playing video games, but still.
- Having to wait until 9 tonight to play basketball, and knowing that there's a 99% chance that Marcus will be our referee.
- Having so much money on gift cards that you don't know what to spend it on. Sure you could get a lot of little things that you want, like DVD's, shower caddy's, etc....but is that really in the spirit of what people gave you the gift card for? So then the money just sits there, and you feel like you should spend it, but there's nothing to spend it on, so here you sit with almost $1000 in gift card money burning a hole in your pocket.
- being married
- having a job
- our new 50" DLP TV
- playing basketball
- Amazing amount of gifts received for our wedding
Things that make me grumpy:
- leaving my wedding ring on the counter this morning (10 days in and I'm already leaving the most important symbol of our marriage next to the soap dish....nice)
- Not having anything to do at work so I just sit here and try to look busy
- Finding out that DLP TV's are the worst Hi-Def TV's for video game play.....not that I'm going to give it back because I bought it for watching TV not playing video games, but still.
- Having to wait until 9 tonight to play basketball, and knowing that there's a 99% chance that Marcus will be our referee.
- Having so much money on gift cards that you don't know what to spend it on. Sure you could get a lot of little things that you want, like DVD's, shower caddy's, etc....but is that really in the spirit of what people gave you the gift card for? So then the money just sits there, and you feel like you should spend it, but there's nothing to spend it on, so here you sit with almost $1000 in gift card money burning a hole in your pocket.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Silver lining
Well I didn't get the job that I applied for. However, I did get a call yesterday telling me that while I won't be interviewed for this position, they are going to keep me in mind for other positions that might help me get to where i want to be eventually. I really appreciated that. It's much better to know where you stand than to just not get a call and be wondering what happened or why you weren't interviewed.
In other news, everyone at work got a $500 bonus yesterday for achieving our goal for the fiscal year. While I love getting a bonus, I hate the fact that I have absolutely no bearing on if we get that bonus or not. Our bonus is based on how much money is brought in. I can only process what other people bring in, so really I'm relying on everyone else to do their job for me to get my bonus. Doesn't really seem fair, and I could see how the development officers might resent some of us that work behind the scenes. I gotta say that they have a pretty tough job. Thier job is to convince rich people that their money should be given to OSU. Not the easiest job in the world.
Rachel's patients threw a reception for us last night. As if we needed more gifts! I had like 4 or 5 patients come up to me and tell me that their lives were infinitely better because of Rachel and that she makes them look forward to exercising, something they'd never done before. That made me proud. It's nice to hear that you married a fantastic person every now and then.
Well off to another fun day of work...enjoy yours!
In other news, everyone at work got a $500 bonus yesterday for achieving our goal for the fiscal year. While I love getting a bonus, I hate the fact that I have absolutely no bearing on if we get that bonus or not. Our bonus is based on how much money is brought in. I can only process what other people bring in, so really I'm relying on everyone else to do their job for me to get my bonus. Doesn't really seem fair, and I could see how the development officers might resent some of us that work behind the scenes. I gotta say that they have a pretty tough job. Thier job is to convince rich people that their money should be given to OSU. Not the easiest job in the world.
Rachel's patients threw a reception for us last night. As if we needed more gifts! I had like 4 or 5 patients come up to me and tell me that their lives were infinitely better because of Rachel and that she makes them look forward to exercising, something they'd never done before. That made me proud. It's nice to hear that you married a fantastic person every now and then.
Well off to another fun day of work...enjoy yours!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Going to the chapel and we're gonna get maaaaaaried
Well we did it. Rachel and I are officially Mr. and Mrs. Lasselle now. Everyone tells you that you can't worry about everything being perfect at your wedding because something inevitably goes wrong. Well, looking back, I don't think I'd change a thing. It was fantastic. Everyone did a great job, everything looked great, and everybody had a good time. People kept playing practical jokes on me the day before the wedding to stress me out, but they were pretty good jokes so I was ok with it. Rachel's cousin called and said he was "Tony from Comcast" and wouldn't be able to hook my cable up until August 10th. I got pretty mad at him and had no clue it was a joke until he called back. Pretty funny. Garth told me he forgot to pick up JR so I was going to be down one groomsman for the wedding. I kind of caught onto that one right away, but in the back of my mind I was like "great.....I'm going to have to make an emergency trip to Portland the day of my wedding. And we discovered that we have a $1000 a day spending limit on our account when we went to pay for the reception. That caused a few tense moments when we thought someone had emptied our account, but everything was fine, and everyone got paid.
The reception was awesome. I got roped into singing "Ice, Ice Baby" in public for the second time in my life. I saw the video of it, and I'm not that great, but it was pretty fun. My career as a rapper is going nowhere. Grant gave a great best man toast, including calling me a "great mom." Back at the hotel afterwards, Erin had lit candles all over our room for us and we tried to use the jacuzzi, but the damn thing sounded like a jet taking off, so we decided to scrap that. We then proceeded to dump hot red candle wax all over the tub when we were putting away the candles, so it looked like someone got murdered in our bathtub. Our first night as a married couple we spend scrubbing our hotel room jacuzzi.
Thank you to everyone who made that night truly one of the best nights of my life, and a big thank you to my wife Rachel for making me the happiest groom ever
The reception was awesome. I got roped into singing "Ice, Ice Baby" in public for the second time in my life. I saw the video of it, and I'm not that great, but it was pretty fun. My career as a rapper is going nowhere. Grant gave a great best man toast, including calling me a "great mom." Back at the hotel afterwards, Erin had lit candles all over our room for us and we tried to use the jacuzzi, but the damn thing sounded like a jet taking off, so we decided to scrap that. We then proceeded to dump hot red candle wax all over the tub when we were putting away the candles, so it looked like someone got murdered in our bathtub. Our first night as a married couple we spend scrubbing our hotel room jacuzzi.
Thank you to everyone who made that night truly one of the best nights of my life, and a big thank you to my wife Rachel for making me the happiest groom ever
Friday, June 30, 2006
end of an era
Well folks, this will probably be my last blog as an unmarried man. I'm breaking down the computer today and moving it over to the new house. I won't have internet until Thursday, and chances are I'll be pretty busy that day, so this is it. Within the next seven days I'll be fully moved into my first house and be married to a fantastic woman. Why is she fantastic you ask? Well I'll tell you:
Yesterday while I was at work, she had the day off. So did she relax? Nope. She moved damn near our entire apartment carload by carload, making trip after trip out to Albany. All that's left to do is move the furniture pretty much, which should take about one trip, since my dad's bringing down a trailer. Then she spent the entire evening cleaning the kitchen. Are you kidding me? Who does this stuff on their day off? My future wife, that's who.
Keep in mind that this is not the only reason I think she's fantastic. There's many, many more that I don't have the time to write down. You don't have the time to read them either.
In other news, I think I'm applying for a new job. I'm hitting the six month plateau that seems to be a killer for me. Actually I enjoy working here, but this other job is kind of exactly what I want to do, so I figure I'll give it a shot. I'm not too optimistic, but we'll see how things turn out. If I don't get it, at least I have a good job to come back to.
Enjoy your 4th of July! See you all on the married side of life!
Yesterday while I was at work, she had the day off. So did she relax? Nope. She moved damn near our entire apartment carload by carload, making trip after trip out to Albany. All that's left to do is move the furniture pretty much, which should take about one trip, since my dad's bringing down a trailer. Then she spent the entire evening cleaning the kitchen. Are you kidding me? Who does this stuff on their day off? My future wife, that's who.
Keep in mind that this is not the only reason I think she's fantastic. There's many, many more that I don't have the time to write down. You don't have the time to read them either.
In other news, I think I'm applying for a new job. I'm hitting the six month plateau that seems to be a killer for me. Actually I enjoy working here, but this other job is kind of exactly what I want to do, so I figure I'll give it a shot. I'm not too optimistic, but we'll see how things turn out. If I don't get it, at least I have a good job to come back to.
Enjoy your 4th of July! See you all on the married side of life!
Monday, June 26, 2006
OSU our hats are off to you
there's just something fundamentally wrong with sweating when it's 11:15 at night and you're sitting next to an open window in a pair of basketball shorts. That just shouldn't happen. Yet here I sit.
Work was alright today. I was a bit grumpy in the morning because I felt like more than my share of the work was being dumped on me, but I guess it's gotta get done and bitching about it isn't going to make the stack of papers on my desk go away. While I was busy trying to figure out how I could sneak out at 4 to go watch the game, I received an email. The entire office was closing at 3:30 so we could watch! Problem solved.
Never in my wildest dreams did I evision seeing OSU win a national championship in a major sport. Especially baseball. But sitting at Ruby Tuesdays watching Tyler Graham catch the final out with one arm around my fiancee has to be one of the best moments of the year for me. The sense of pride that I get knowing that MY school is the best in the country at something (especially something I love as much as baseball) gives me great joy. Made me proud to be a Beaver. I had some issues with the route we took to get there (leaving Nickerson in too long, playing offensively like we knew they were going to screw up (thank goodness they did), not going to Gunderson to start the 9th.......we came out on top. It is kind of sad that school is out and that most of the students are gone, because it would be one great party tomorrow when the team got home if everyone was there.
In other news, I get married in like 10 days. How cool is that?
Work was alright today. I was a bit grumpy in the morning because I felt like more than my share of the work was being dumped on me, but I guess it's gotta get done and bitching about it isn't going to make the stack of papers on my desk go away. While I was busy trying to figure out how I could sneak out at 4 to go watch the game, I received an email. The entire office was closing at 3:30 so we could watch! Problem solved.
Never in my wildest dreams did I evision seeing OSU win a national championship in a major sport. Especially baseball. But sitting at Ruby Tuesdays watching Tyler Graham catch the final out with one arm around my fiancee has to be one of the best moments of the year for me. The sense of pride that I get knowing that MY school is the best in the country at something (especially something I love as much as baseball) gives me great joy. Made me proud to be a Beaver. I had some issues with the route we took to get there (leaving Nickerson in too long, playing offensively like we knew they were going to screw up (thank goodness they did), not going to Gunderson to start the 9th.......we came out on top. It is kind of sad that school is out and that most of the students are gone, because it would be one great party tomorrow when the team got home if everyone was there.
In other news, I get married in like 10 days. How cool is that?
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Another bear leaves the forest
So last night my friend Steve calls. I had called him earlier regarding his hotel reservation for my wedding, so I figured he was calling to talk about that and possibly the OSU baseball game. So I just start rambling about sports and stuff for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then finally he goes "actually the reason I called is that I got engaged on Saturday, and we're thinking of getting married in September." Talk about coming out of left field! I mean, he'd told me that they were talking about marriage, but Rachel and I probably talked about marriage a year into our relationship, if not sooner, and it still took me another full year to actually get to a point where I felt ready to do it. Plus, trying to plan a wedding in 2 and a half months? Good luck buddy. I have a feeling I won't be talking to him much between now and then.
A lot of people like it when their boss is on vacation. They can coast at work, kind of goof off, sneak out early, whatever. Not me. Nobody was more excited to have their boss back at work than me yesterday. While she was gone, I had to pretty much assume her role, and all of a sudden I have people coming to me asking me all these strange questions and stuff. It was a very stressful week. Yesterday was like a holiday it was so easy. I was able to just sit there and do all my dumb $24,000 a year duties and I loved it (except the part about me making $24,000 a year.) We're going to have to do something about that here sometime
A lot of people like it when their boss is on vacation. They can coast at work, kind of goof off, sneak out early, whatever. Not me. Nobody was more excited to have their boss back at work than me yesterday. While she was gone, I had to pretty much assume her role, and all of a sudden I have people coming to me asking me all these strange questions and stuff. It was a very stressful week. Yesterday was like a holiday it was so easy. I was able to just sit there and do all my dumb $24,000 a year duties and I loved it (except the part about me making $24,000 a year.) We're going to have to do something about that here sometime
Friday, June 16, 2006
Yep...I'm old
So last night, I'm flipping channels and I come across this musical on OPB. At first I started watching just out of curiosity because the girl singing looked pretty young to be on Broadway (the show was taped at Lincoln Center in New York). Well then I got into the story, and before I knew it, I'd watched the entire thing and it was midnight. And the thing was, I really enjoyed it, like it was the best thing I'd seen on TV in months (not counting World Cup and other sports events). My grandparents would've been so proud of me. The show was called "The Light in the Piazza" for anyone interested in watching it, or anyone traveling to NY anytime soon.
You know you've become an adult when you start watching OPB at night and you enjoy it. I just gave up the last shred of my childhood I think. Maybe I'll reclaim it by playing some video games and eating a cupcake for breakfast.
You know you've become an adult when you start watching OPB at night and you enjoy it. I just gave up the last shred of my childhood I think. Maybe I'll reclaim it by playing some video games and eating a cupcake for breakfast.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Things that make you go hmmmm
If a co-worker calls in to say she's stuck in traffic and will be late, should you be upset if she strolls in with a Dutch Bros. cup in her hand?
Love my job!
Love my job!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Anyone wanna hire an athlete?
OSU is now posting the job resumes of student athletes at osubeavers.com. Apparently they're having trouble finding a job on the merits of their working ability, so they're now trying to use the fact that they can hit a golf ball well enough to not make it on the PGA Tour to get them a job.
Now, I don't have a problem with the university doing this for their athletes. What I do have a problem with is that they don't do this for all students. They could just as easily post resumes of all graduating seniors on the regular website. The point is that if Prudential is looking for a good accountant, their first idea isn't going to be "hey, you know who would be good for this job? A gymnast!" But if the Prudential's CEO is an OSU alum who saw you get a 9.8 on the beam against Stanford last fall, he might say "hey I like her, she looks good in a unitard" and offer her a job. It's stupid.
Speaking of stupid, some of these resumes are downright pathetic. A lot of them have little or no work experience, which is to be expected because of NCAA regulations. Kyle Jeffers, for example, has "played varsity basketball at OSU" under his 'experience' section. Of course, he's also got someone else's email address and phone number at the top of his resume. Apparently when he was cutting and pasting over someone elses work, he missed that section. He also lists "honorable mention all-freshman Pac-10" as a way to highlight his "experience." Under the heading "SAAC representative, he has a bullet that says "vote on actions." What the hell does that mean? He's also part of something called the Student Alumni Association. I'm not sure how you can be a student and an alumni, but ok.
Another athlete who lists his objective as "seeking a position in team oriented business to utilize my communication and leadership skills." He then lists his experience at a marketing company, where he "sold kitchen cutlery to a variety of Oregon State Alumni." What people who didn't go to OSU don't get knives? Or were baseball boosters the only people who would accept your shitty pitch for the ginsu set? He also says that he "drove a variety of automobiles" as a grounds crew worker. Yeah, that's an important skill that highlights your communication and leadership skills.
I'm not sure this is the best way to get these kids jobs. I think they'd be better off calling successful boosters and just saying "please."
Now, I don't have a problem with the university doing this for their athletes. What I do have a problem with is that they don't do this for all students. They could just as easily post resumes of all graduating seniors on the regular website. The point is that if Prudential is looking for a good accountant, their first idea isn't going to be "hey, you know who would be good for this job? A gymnast!" But if the Prudential's CEO is an OSU alum who saw you get a 9.8 on the beam against Stanford last fall, he might say "hey I like her, she looks good in a unitard" and offer her a job. It's stupid.
Speaking of stupid, some of these resumes are downright pathetic. A lot of them have little or no work experience, which is to be expected because of NCAA regulations. Kyle Jeffers, for example, has "played varsity basketball at OSU" under his 'experience' section. Of course, he's also got someone else's email address and phone number at the top of his resume. Apparently when he was cutting and pasting over someone elses work, he missed that section. He also lists "honorable mention all-freshman Pac-10" as a way to highlight his "experience." Under the heading "SAAC representative, he has a bullet that says "vote on actions." What the hell does that mean? He's also part of something called the Student Alumni Association. I'm not sure how you can be a student and an alumni, but ok.
Another athlete who lists his objective as "seeking a position in team oriented business to utilize my communication and leadership skills." He then lists his experience at a marketing company, where he "sold kitchen cutlery to a variety of Oregon State Alumni." What people who didn't go to OSU don't get knives? Or were baseball boosters the only people who would accept your shitty pitch for the ginsu set? He also says that he "drove a variety of automobiles" as a grounds crew worker. Yeah, that's an important skill that highlights your communication and leadership skills.
I'm not sure this is the best way to get these kids jobs. I think they'd be better off calling successful boosters and just saying "please."
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