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.
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