Cuz Mark sure isn't!
Okay, sorry for the lame title/intro...it's late and I couldn't think of anything else. Go ahead, make fun of me.
I really do need to go running though. Perhaps you'll remember all the progress I was making...up to 2 miles around the neighborhood - with hills! But alas, I've gotten lazy. And uninspired. But mainly just lazy. I actually haven't been running since several days before Thanksgiving! which means it's been well over a week since I last sweated it out on the asphalt. In my defense, it has been cold (kinda) and rainy (well, one day) and I was on vacation (only for about 2 days). Alright, I know my excuses are weak...and so am I. :( I'll get back on board.
I may or may not be able to tomorrow night...ooh, and I actually have something to do Thursday night, and I'm going to be out of town Friday. Well, I guess I just need to get over my excuses and do it anyway...I can work my schedule out if I really want to. Alright, it's official, I'm running both tomorrow night and Thursday, regardless of what time I have to do it! Hold me to it friends!
Oh yeah...the car is going to the dealership again tomorrow morning to get the CV-thing replaced again. My goal is that this will be the last time this year it goes to the shop. It's only 34 days...is that too much to ask?
**UPDATE: Ack! As I was writing this post and trying to link back to previous running stories, I realized it's been a lot longer than I thought since I went running. I was under the impression that I last went out the weekend before Thanksgiving, but that was the weekend I took myself shopping and to dinner and then discovered the car issues, so I decided it was a good day to put on pajamas and stay on the couch all day. I've certainly had plenty to eat and drink since then...maybe I should go out twice tomorrow and twice on Thursday. Yikes!!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Hittin' the Highway
Oh goodness, faithful readers, do I ever have a great "Only Mark" story for you! Definitely one of those situations that probably only I could get into. I'm not sharing details yet, but it should be a good one.
Since I'm only teasing you with that story, I'll give you another fun "Only Mark" story that happened recently.
So a couple weeks ago, my bosses (they're a married couple) and I decided we needed to head to Atlanta for a seminar with our parent company over there. The seminar was from about 7-9 in the evening and Atlanta is about a 3 or 4 hour drive, I knew it'd be a long night. We left the office at about 4:30 or so and hit the road. My boss decided we'd take his car, so off we go. We get about 2 hours up the road or so and decide to go through a drive through for something to eat. After we get our food, my boss announces that he can't eat and drive, so I volunteer to take over at the wheel. This is when it gets interesting...
As I start backing out of the parking space, I notice the bright lights are on in the car. It was just starting to get dark, so I just wanted to turn them down to the regular lights. Seeing me look around for the way to do that, my boss chimes in with "Oh, don't bother trying to turn the lights down, that's all we've got!" Apparently they were having some sort of electrical issues which caused the low beams to not work, just the high beams. We were already running a little bit behind, but, of course, not longer after we get back on the road, we hit a major traffic back up on the interstate. We never did figure out what was going on, but basically, we lost nearly half an hour sitting in stop and go traffic. When we finally get back to the open road, I really have to move that SUV to avoid missing the entire seminar. Fortunately I have torrid history of driving at very high speeds, so I was quite comfortable with this. So here I am, flying down the highway in a big ol' truck at 80+ mph with nothing but my high beams on. Yeah...I think much of the state of Georgia was pissed at me for tailgating them with my bright lights on that night...oh well.
We go to the seminar...it was a good one, worth the drive, and then it was time to head home. My boss was actually quite tired, and I don't think he likes driving at night that much (especially with only the brights), so I hopped into the driver's seat again. With the bright lights a-blazin', we roll back up I-85. Running low on gas and getting hungry, we pull over near Commerce, Georgia. It's nearly midnight at this time, which was actually nice because there was a lot less traffic to offend with my headlights. As I'm pulling out of the gas station, I see rain drops begin to fall on the windshield. When my bosses see me start fiddling around to turn on the windshield wipers, they just start laughing. Apparently, as part of the aforementioned electrical problems, the windshield wipers also were not functional. Yeah, and my hopes that the rain was just a passing sprinkle were dashed as well.
I hit the interstate and proceed to start driving through very heavy rain that was probably one of the hardest rains we've had in months (well, maybe since the last time I drove back from Atlanta when the air was broken in my car so all the windows fogged up and I could hardly see). It was certainly an interesting time, my one boss was sleeping in the back seat and his wife was sitting patiently next to me listening to me ramble on about one thing or another for pretty much the whole drive home. I'm not sure why I was so chatty at that hour, perhaps I was still excited from the seminar, perhaps I was just a bit tired and was trying to keep myself awake, or perhaps I was just trying to distract her (or me) from the fact that on more than one occasion I was having quite a bit of difficulty seeing the road. At any rate, we finally returned home at about 2:30 in the morning or so.
But, yeah, I was driving down the interstate, in someone else's car, at 1:00 in the morning with only bright lights and no windshield wipers in the pouring down rain...and do it all as calmly as ever, as though there was nothing wrong at all. Who else but Mark? haha
I guess all that time spent driving through torrential downpours in Florida finally paid off. Good times!
Since I'm only teasing you with that story, I'll give you another fun "Only Mark" story that happened recently.
So a couple weeks ago, my bosses (they're a married couple) and I decided we needed to head to Atlanta for a seminar with our parent company over there. The seminar was from about 7-9 in the evening and Atlanta is about a 3 or 4 hour drive, I knew it'd be a long night. We left the office at about 4:30 or so and hit the road. My boss decided we'd take his car, so off we go. We get about 2 hours up the road or so and decide to go through a drive through for something to eat. After we get our food, my boss announces that he can't eat and drive, so I volunteer to take over at the wheel. This is when it gets interesting...
As I start backing out of the parking space, I notice the bright lights are on in the car. It was just starting to get dark, so I just wanted to turn them down to the regular lights. Seeing me look around for the way to do that, my boss chimes in with "Oh, don't bother trying to turn the lights down, that's all we've got!" Apparently they were having some sort of electrical issues which caused the low beams to not work, just the high beams. We were already running a little bit behind, but, of course, not longer after we get back on the road, we hit a major traffic back up on the interstate. We never did figure out what was going on, but basically, we lost nearly half an hour sitting in stop and go traffic. When we finally get back to the open road, I really have to move that SUV to avoid missing the entire seminar. Fortunately I have torrid history of driving at very high speeds, so I was quite comfortable with this. So here I am, flying down the highway in a big ol' truck at 80+ mph with nothing but my high beams on. Yeah...I think much of the state of Georgia was pissed at me for tailgating them with my bright lights on that night...oh well.
We go to the seminar...it was a good one, worth the drive, and then it was time to head home. My boss was actually quite tired, and I don't think he likes driving at night that much (especially with only the brights), so I hopped into the driver's seat again. With the bright lights a-blazin', we roll back up I-85. Running low on gas and getting hungry, we pull over near Commerce, Georgia. It's nearly midnight at this time, which was actually nice because there was a lot less traffic to offend with my headlights. As I'm pulling out of the gas station, I see rain drops begin to fall on the windshield. When my bosses see me start fiddling around to turn on the windshield wipers, they just start laughing. Apparently, as part of the aforementioned electrical problems, the windshield wipers also were not functional. Yeah, and my hopes that the rain was just a passing sprinkle were dashed as well.
I hit the interstate and proceed to start driving through very heavy rain that was probably one of the hardest rains we've had in months (well, maybe since the last time I drove back from Atlanta when the air was broken in my car so all the windows fogged up and I could hardly see). It was certainly an interesting time, my one boss was sleeping in the back seat and his wife was sitting patiently next to me listening to me ramble on about one thing or another for pretty much the whole drive home. I'm not sure why I was so chatty at that hour, perhaps I was still excited from the seminar, perhaps I was just a bit tired and was trying to keep myself awake, or perhaps I was just trying to distract her (or me) from the fact that on more than one occasion I was having quite a bit of difficulty seeing the road. At any rate, we finally returned home at about 2:30 in the morning or so.
But, yeah, I was driving down the interstate, in someone else's car, at 1:00 in the morning with only bright lights and no windshield wipers in the pouring down rain...and do it all as calmly as ever, as though there was nothing wrong at all. Who else but Mark? haha
I guess all that time spent driving through torrential downpours in Florida finally paid off. Good times!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Realizations and Resolutions
I've been blogging now for about 6 weeks and have begun to realize somethings about my blog:
Also, as I mentioned before, I'm heading back up to the mountains for Thanksgiving with the fam. I'm leaving tomorrow and will be back sometime over the weekend, so no posts until then. I'll be thinking about the above realizations, though, and am vowing to do better.
Oh, and in my 6 short weeks, I have had no fewer than 5 separate hits from at least 3 different countries outside the US and plenty from states all over...that's definitely fun to watch! As always, if you are reading, you are greatly encouraged to comment or e-mail me! I take requests!
Happy Thanksgiving!
- My blog was supposed to be chock full of funny stories about my life and encounters I have. So far this has not been the case. Up until now, it has actually seemed to be more filled with my rants and complaints, intermixed with a few blow-by-blow replays of my days. No one wants to read this...at least not only this! So many bloggers have deep philosophical and introspective viewpoints, others have funny stories, and I, up until now, basically just have a diary of me. Not the original intent.
- I write too much! Not necessarily too frequently, but when I do write, I just make my posts too long! I should probably take a moment after I write them to edit them down, taking out some of the boring details...but it's so much easier just to click post and not re-read it.
Also, as I mentioned before, I'm heading back up to the mountains for Thanksgiving with the fam. I'm leaving tomorrow and will be back sometime over the weekend, so no posts until then. I'll be thinking about the above realizations, though, and am vowing to do better.
Oh, and in my 6 short weeks, I have had no fewer than 5 separate hits from at least 3 different countries outside the US and plenty from states all over...that's definitely fun to watch! As always, if you are reading, you are greatly encouraged to comment or e-mail me! I take requests!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Okay, this is getting almost comical!
Despite my plans for other great accomplishments today (like, say, working) I spent pretty much all day today having work done to my much-storied car (here, here, here & here). Basically, today I spent over $200 that I don't have on various repairs/maintenance to it and probably should have spent at least another $200-300 more! I mean, seriously, if this keeps up, I'm going to have to create a blog label just for my car!
I started out by calling the one place in the yellow pages that said they repaired rims (well technically, there are two, but it turns out one is actually located in Greenville, 100 miles away, but for some reason decides to advertise in our book). I was really excited when the guy told me they could probably repair it in a little over an hour or so (not a day or more, as previously feared and as the place in Greenville seems to take), and that he could do it for probably $115 or so, co
nsiderably less than I feared. Before actually going to see him, though, I decided to go back to the Tire Kingdom I originally went to on Saturday to have them look at the remaining slow leak and rotate my tires. When I got to the Kingdom, they had a long wait (I did accidentally wait until lunch time to get there, oops!) so I just made an appointment for later that afternoon and went to the rim shop. I walked in and told the guy what I needed and he said "Oh, did you call me earlier today? Yeah, we'll take care of it for you." I dropped the tire off and now had an hour or two to kill before I had to be back. Inspired by my outpouring of cash into the car and in preparation of my upcoming Thanksgiving travels, I decided I may as well get the long over due oil change I needed.
I ran up the road to the place I always go and handed her the keys. I also asked about getting a transmission fluid change, since I have known for a long time I need that done, but decided without a coupon and in light of all the money I was spending on everything else that day, that I should chance it for a little bit longer. The repair guy also told me I should have my fuel injection system cleaned every 12-15 months or so. I normally don't 100% believe repair people when they tell me what I "should" do (not that I would know better than they would, I just like to think that I do), but since I've never had it done, I did entertain the thought. I ruled it as out of the budget too.
When they finished, I did swing by the office for a bit to get together some stuff for my boss and find something to do that wouldn't cost me money while I waited for the rim. Finally, I head back up to the rim place and pick up my tire. They mount it for me and end up only charging me $100 total, parts & labor, for the work. Awesome! After I left there, I realized I should've just had them look at the leak in my other tire and rotate them, since they did seem to do tire work, but I didn't realize that before, thinking they primarily just sold custom rims. Oh well. Once the wheel was mounted, it left me just enough time to run back up to the Kingdom for my afternoon appointment. The guy pulled the car in and lifted it up, then did what every car owner dreads when work is being done...comes in to speak to the customer!
I walk into the garage with him and he tells me 3 things...first, there's a lug nut on the back wheel which is stuck on there and he's afraid he'll destroy the stud if he removes it. (You may remember, this is hardly the first time I've had lugs over torqued and destroy wheel studs...in fact, if I count right, this is at least the 7th stud to suffer such a fate. Why do people have it out for my wheel studs?) I told him to go ahead, even if it meant stripping it and replacing the stud, (which would add about $30-40 to my bill) basically under the 3-fold logic of
The third thing he told me(and here's where it gets comical, folks) is this:
he was saying, I knew enough and, seeing where he was pointing, realized that this is the exact same part the dealership replaced not 3 weeks ago!!! Yeah...that $1100 repair they did, guess it didn't work! I told him not to worry about that and assured him I'd take it to the dealership. Oh, they did find a nail in that tire with the slow leak, in case you were curious...maybe I should have had it looked at some point earlier over the 6 or 9 months it's been slowly leaking...oops! :)
Once they finished up all they were doing and I paid another $75 or so, I was deciding how to set up an appointment with the dealership to have them re-repair my CV joint (or whatever). I was going to call, but I didn't have their number and I had to drive right by there anyway, so decided to just stop in and make one in person for next Monday when I get back. I told the guy at the dealership what the man at the Kingdom said and admitted that it was still making a strange noise, but, since it was considerably quieter than the noise it was making before, I had sorta relegated to just being the noise my car was going to keep making...at least until I got sick of it wanted to brave the dealership again. At first the guy was content to just make an appointment, but when I told him what was wrong, he got all concerned that I was going to driving through the mountains with this potential problem and wanted to have it looked at immediately. This was fine with me and actually, I just didn't suggest it b/c it was already 4:30 when I got there and didn't want anyone to have to stay late.
I then headed back toward the waiting room where I've grown so accustomed to staying and ran into several other of the employees I've come to know around there (yeah...clearly I spend to much time there!). I chatted a bit and then went back to reading the book I'd been working on all afternoon. Half an hour later, the service guy tells me that they looked at it and they're going to have to order the same part again and install a second new one to try to fix the problem. He did assure me that I would be fine driving on it (a concern I did not have until he raised it) and I'm supposed to hear from them when the parts come in. Oh, then I put $40-something worth of gas in it and was done on the car for the day.
After spending all this time at the dealership, I'm beginning to notice a trend. A very unpleasant trend, but a trend nonetheless. Any guesses?
Yeah...it seems they like to do all of their work multiple times! Let's recap again...
Oh well, at least an old friend was rolling through town so she stopped to hang out. She introduced me to Raspberry Martinis and Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill! Not a bad way to end the night!
I started out by calling the one place in the yellow pages that said they repaired rims (well technically, there are two, but it turns out one is actually located in Greenville, 100 miles away, but for some reason decides to advertise in our book). I was really excited when the guy told me they could probably repair it in a little over an hour or so (not a day or more, as previously feared and as the place in Greenville seems to take), and that he could do it for probably $115 or so, co
nsiderably less than I feared. Before actually going to see him, though, I decided to go back to the Tire Kingdom I originally went to on Saturday to have them look at the remaining slow leak and rotate my tires. When I got to the Kingdom, they had a long wait (I did accidentally wait until lunch time to get there, oops!) so I just made an appointment for later that afternoon and went to the rim shop. I walked in and told the guy what I needed and he said "Oh, did you call me earlier today? Yeah, we'll take care of it for you." I dropped the tire off and now had an hour or two to kill before I had to be back. Inspired by my outpouring of cash into the car and in preparation of my upcoming Thanksgiving travels, I decided I may as well get the long over due oil change I needed.I ran up the road to the place I always go and handed her the keys. I also asked about getting a transmission fluid change, since I have known for a long time I need that done, but decided without a coupon and in light of all the money I was spending on everything else that day, that I should chance it for a little bit longer. The repair guy also told me I should have my fuel injection system cleaned every 12-15 months or so. I normally don't 100% believe repair people when they tell me what I "should" do (not that I would know better than they would, I just like to think that I do), but since I've never had it done, I did entertain the thought. I ruled it as out of the budget too.
When they finished, I did swing by the office for a bit to get together some stuff for my boss and find something to do that wouldn't cost me money while I waited for the rim. Finally, I head back up to the rim place and pick up my tire. They mount it for me and end up only charging me $100 total, parts & labor, for the work. Awesome! After I left there, I realized I should've just had them look at the leak in my other tire and rotate them, since they did seem to do tire work, but I didn't realize that before, thinking they primarily just sold custom rims. Oh well. Once the wheel was mounted, it left me just enough time to run back up to the Kingdom for my afternoon appointment. The guy pulled the car in and lifted it up, then did what every car owner dreads when work is being done...comes in to speak to the customer!
I walk into the garage with him and he tells me 3 things...first, there's a lug nut on the back wheel which is stuck on there and he's afraid he'll destroy the stud if he removes it. (You may remember, this is hardly the first time I've had lugs over torqued and destroy wheel studs...in fact, if I count right, this is at least the 7th stud to suffer such a fate. Why do people have it out for my wheel studs?) I told him to go ahead, even if it meant stripping it and replacing the stud, (which would add about $30-40 to my bill) basically under the 3-fold logic of
- I really do need my tires rotated regardless,
- Heaven forbid the tire should go flat and I would be left on the side of the road trying to man handle that thing, and
- I'm already dumping money out, so why not!?
The third thing he told me(and here's where it gets comical, folks) is this:
"Have you had someone look at your CV boot (or some other part he was pointing to that I had no idea what he was talking about)? You see, it's leaking here and it is basically dripping all the oil right out of it and slinging it away. You can see it here...(still pointing)"At this point, I just start laughing, because while I didn't understand exactly what
he was saying, I knew enough and, seeing where he was pointing, realized that this is the exact same part the dealership replaced not 3 weeks ago!!! Yeah...that $1100 repair they did, guess it didn't work! I told him not to worry about that and assured him I'd take it to the dealership. Oh, they did find a nail in that tire with the slow leak, in case you were curious...maybe I should have had it looked at some point earlier over the 6 or 9 months it's been slowly leaking...oops! :)Once they finished up all they were doing and I paid another $75 or so, I was deciding how to set up an appointment with the dealership to have them re-repair my CV joint (or whatever). I was going to call, but I didn't have their number and I had to drive right by there anyway, so decided to just stop in and make one in person for next Monday when I get back. I told the guy at the dealership what the man at the Kingdom said and admitted that it was still making a strange noise, but, since it was considerably quieter than the noise it was making before, I had sorta relegated to just being the noise my car was going to keep making...at least until I got sick of it wanted to brave the dealership again. At first the guy was content to just make an appointment, but when I told him what was wrong, he got all concerned that I was going to driving through the mountains with this potential problem and wanted to have it looked at immediately. This was fine with me and actually, I just didn't suggest it b/c it was already 4:30 when I got there and didn't want anyone to have to stay late.
I then headed back toward the waiting room where I've grown so accustomed to staying and ran into several other of the employees I've come to know around there (yeah...clearly I spend to much time there!). I chatted a bit and then went back to reading the book I'd been working on all afternoon. Half an hour later, the service guy tells me that they looked at it and they're going to have to order the same part again and install a second new one to try to fix the problem. He did assure me that I would be fine driving on it (a concern I did not have until he raised it) and I'm supposed to hear from them when the parts come in. Oh, then I put $40-something worth of gas in it and was done on the car for the day.
After spending all this time at the dealership, I'm beginning to notice a trend. A very unpleasant trend, but a trend nonetheless. Any guesses?
Yeah...it seems they like to do all of their work multiple times! Let's recap again...
- this piece was replaced three weeks ago and will now be replaced again in a week; my air conditioner was "fixed" once in June and then surprisingly broke again a month later,
- the motor on one of my power windows needs adjustment almost annually, and
- my radio has been replaced not once, not twice, but three separate times!
Oh well, at least an old friend was rolling through town so she stopped to hang out. She introduced me to Raspberry Martinis and Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill! Not a bad way to end the night!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Robin Sparkles, Let's Go to The Mall - How I Met Your Mother
And for you REAL fans...here's a throwback, some vintage HIMYM!
You Just Got Slapped - How I Met Your Mother
For all you fans out there, here's Marshall's song he composed for the long anticipated slap tonight!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Nothing like changing a tire in cashmere...
Remember how yesterday I put off getting my tires looked at? The logic was, "Oh, they're just slow leaks, they won't go anywhere." Well, this morning I got up early to go to church (I was going to early service to be able to go by the tire place and still get other stuff done in the afternoon) and walk outside to see the tire with the "significantly less slow leak" was completely flat. Ugh...no I have to change the tire! So yeah, it's 7:30 in the morning, 45 degrees outside and I'm wearing a Banana Republic cashmere sweater and now I have to change a filthy tire - lovely!
I had to fight with the tire b/c it didn't really want to come off, but I finally got it. After looking at it, I saw that in addition to having a bad valve stem, the rim is bent also!!! I have no idea how that happened. I mean, Columbia's roads are really crappy, but I haven't particularly noticed hitting any new pot holes or bumps over the last few days. Best I can figure, I'm thinking maybe the bad valve stem let the air out of my tire and, while driving around with low pressure, I hit one of the normal bumps which caused the bend. Anyway, moral of the story is, reshaping the rim is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than a little patch or new valve stem, and may not even be fixable at all, but may require replacement. I'm really hoping replacing isn't the way I have to go, seeing as I checked into getting a new rim from the dealership several years ago and was quoted a price of $634 per rim, or something like that. Not what I need!
I threw the little donut spare tire on, tried washing my hands, and rolled on to church. Of course, I was an hour late, and really dirty, but at least I made it. I couldn't get anything done about the tire today, since most tire shops won't repair a bent rim; I'll have to so see a guy that specializes in it this week. The timing of this is so perfect too, since starting Wednesday I'll be driving 500 or so miles next week on the interstate, through the mountains, and on dirt roads with possible ice and snow. I'm reeeeaaalllly hoping I don't have to do all that on the donut at 55mph.
Yeah...I'm soooo over this car! Let's just recap what this car has put me through over the last 6 months:
Oh yeah, and to add insult to injury, I cracked my KRZR yesterday! I dropped it in Barnes & Noble and noticed later that the face of it had a big crack across it. Of all the phones I've had since I first got a cell phone 6 or 7 years ago, and of all the times I've dropped them in the dirt, on the floor, even on asphalt in roads and parking lots, I've never had one break like that...and this happened on carpet!! Piece of crap! Verizon told me they'd replace it for $50. In light of the tire situation, I think I'll keep my money and my cracked phone. Grrrr!
I had to fight with the tire b/c it didn't really want to come off, but I finally got it. After looking at it, I saw that in addition to having a bad valve stem, the rim is bent also!!! I have no idea how that happened. I mean, Columbia's roads are really crappy, but I haven't particularly noticed hitting any new pot holes or bumps over the last few days. Best I can figure, I'm thinking maybe the bad valve stem let the air out of my tire and, while driving around with low pressure, I hit one of the normal bumps which caused the bend. Anyway, moral of the story is, reshaping the rim is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than a little patch or new valve stem, and may not even be fixable at all, but may require replacement. I'm really hoping replacing isn't the way I have to go, seeing as I checked into getting a new rim from the dealership several years ago and was quoted a price of $634 per rim, or something like that. Not what I need!
I threw the little donut spare tire on, tried washing my hands, and rolled on to church. Of course, I was an hour late, and really dirty, but at least I made it. I couldn't get anything done about the tire today, since most tire shops won't repair a bent rim; I'll have to so see a guy that specializes in it this week. The timing of this is so perfect too, since starting Wednesday I'll be driving 500 or so miles next week on the interstate, through the mountains, and on dirt roads with possible ice and snow. I'm reeeeaaalllly hoping I don't have to do all that on the donut at 55mph. Yeah...I'm soooo over this car! Let's just recap what this car has put me through over the last 6 months:
- My A/C has broken...twice!
- I replaced a wheel stud that had been cross thread and stripped.
- I replaced my front brake pads.
- I replaced the rear pads and turned the rotors.
- I had an $1100 repair done to the CV joints.
- And now...I have a bent rim that will need repair/replace.
Oh yeah, and to add insult to injury, I cracked my KRZR yesterday! I dropped it in Barnes & Noble and noticed later that the face of it had a big crack across it. Of all the phones I've had since I first got a cell phone 6 or 7 years ago, and of all the times I've dropped them in the dirt, on the floor, even on asphalt in roads and parking lots, I've never had one break like that...and this happened on carpet!! Piece of crap! Verizon told me they'd replace it for $50. In light of the tire situation, I think I'll keep my money and my cracked phone. Grrrr!
It's Not All About Me
I have great difficulty finding presents for other people. Birthdays, Christmas, weddings, whatever, I just find it hard to get things for others. (Well, maybe not so much weddings, those are fairly easy for some reason.) I've always had this problem. I remember when I was younger and my mom taking me to the store to find birthday presents for friends and getting really frustrated while I wandered aimlessly. Every time I go shopping for others, I tend to end up finding stuff for me and nothing for them. I guess it might mean I'm selfish, but I like to think otherwise. I mean, if I were truly selfish I'd just run out and grab the first thing that worked and not think any more about it, right? Instead, I usually can't find anything b/c I spend so much time trying to find something that fits their personality, without trying to force my tastes on them. Perhaps I should back up though and give you the whole story of my day to better illustrate my point...
I slept in a bit and then had to head up to the office to do a little stuff. I didn't really want to be there, but I wasn't there too long, so it wasn't bad. I then went home to change clothes and called my sister b/c today is her birthday. She didn't answer so I left a voicemail and sent a text--very personal! I also called a friend who I was supposed to help refinish some table she just got...I called to reschedule b/c I wasn't feeling up to it and had other errands to run. Then, I decided to run up to the mall to find Sis a birthday present (I'll be seeing her with the rest of the fam on Wednesday for Thanksgiving, so I'm not really late in shopping...I never mail it, just give it to her then). I drove all the way out to the mall, which is about 15 miles from my house, to go shopping. There are one or two malls closer, but I wanted to head out to that one to browse some specific stores (for me, not her--I know, back to the selfish thing).
I get all the way out to the mall, hop out of my car, and realize I left my wallet and everything else, other than cell phone and keys, sitting on my dresser when I changed pants earlier...yeah, I was thrilled! I thought about just walking around the mall and, if I saw anything, coming back tomorrow, but, decided I didn't have much else planned today and really just wanted to wander around shopping without having to come back tomorrow. So, I drove home, got my wallet, did a couple other things, then drove back across town and hit the mall (Please note, we're already at 45 miles for the day just driving to the mall, not to mention the 20+ miles earlier driving to and from work. Good thing gas is so cheap right now! Ugh!).
I wandered through several stores with the hopes of coming up with a good idea of what to get my sister. Okay, so I didn't actually expect to find anything for her in the men's department of Belk, Banana Republic, Express, Abercrombie, Gap or American Eagle...but I didn't get anything for me there either, so that's good right? In fairness I did go into Williams-Sonoma also (not that I think she's a big cooker, but then again, I don't cook at all and still go into that store pretty much every time I'm at the mall...I don't know why) and whatever bookstore they have in our mall and I could have conceivably found something in one of those. To be honest, I pretty much wouldn't ever buy her clothes anyway b/c, not only do I not know her size, but I think clothes are a very personal expression that are best picked by the wearer. The most I would've gotten there was a gift card, but that's usually a last resort. I really just went for inspiration and to get me in the mood to shop...and if I happened to find a great deal for myself, so be it! I also went into the store I used to work at to say hello to some people I used to work with and see if anything had changed. Other than the Christmas decorations being out, no, it hadn't.
After leaving the mall, I ran up to the tire place b/c I have slow leaks in two of my tires (although o
ne is significantly less slow than the other), both just bad valve stems, I believe, but needed to get them fixed before I head out of town next week. Unfortunately I got there at like 5:58 and they close at 6, so I'll head back Sunday or Monday. I then ran up to Best Buy to continue birthday shopping. I don't really know why I went here, but I thought I might find something. I wandered around looking at things for her IPod, random computer games, DVD's and whatever else. Didn't see anything that worked for her, but I suppose this is when my selfishness comes out. While perusing the DVD section, I noticed that they had a few different TV series deeply discounted...no good reason it seemed, as they were all current a popular shows, but they still had a temporary markdown. I kept walking, looking for a few shows I know my sister likes, when what did I stumble across? The Nip/Tuck DVD's! Lo and behold...they were some of the ones on sale!! Well, only seasons 1, 2 & 
3; season 4 was at regular price, but still, I didn't have any, so I checked them out. Ummm, yeah...each season is normally $45 for the set, but today, they were marked down to $14.99 each! You read that right! So, considering buying the seasons was cheaper than renting them if I ever wanted to catch them, I had to buy all 3. I got all 3 seasons for less than the price of 1 normally! That's not selfish, is it? I mean, how could I pass that up? I stayed in that store clutching my DVD's before checking out, never finding anything for her, but I did see a lot of other cool stuff. Not being a big techie, I don't usually go into electronics stores often, but I think I'm going to have to start!
I hopped across the street to Wal-Mart to wander their electronics section for goodies, then looked for a couple things I wanted (didn't find any) and went down to Circuit City. Headed to Barnes & Noble next, which was purely for her b/c I wasn't in the market for books and she reads like all the time, then went to about 5 or 6 other stores. In all the other stores, I was mainly looking for something for me...a ficus or other large plant to stick in a naked corner of my newly rearranged living room, which I never did end up finding. I think I'm just going to stick a Christmas tree there for now and deal with it in January. While in the parking lot of one of the stores, I realized it was getting really late and I was getting quite hungry (no doubt aided by the women reading out loud from a cookbook in Barnes & Noble). I was kinda tired and new I didn't want to go home to make anything when I was done and thought it a good night to treat myself. I remembered I had a gift card to Outback from waaaay long ago, and that it was time I cashed it in. I gave up on the ficus, hit up BAM in a last effort for sister, then went back across the street to eat.
Of course, it was just me eating, which was kinda sad. I mean, ideally I would've wanted to go somewhere like that with a date/girlfriend or at least some friends, but, with no girlfriend or dates (*sigh*) and figuring most of my friends had already eaten/weren't on that side of town, I figured, "Who cares...I deserve, I'm treating." There was an open booth at the bar so I plopped myself down and was watching some football on TV. I decided to order a big steak (12oz.) and got a salad and loaded baked potato, with the intent of eating half and having some le
ftover for Sunday lunch. I thought I could fill up on the free bread too. Oh yeah, I also ordered a Sangria with my meal, since it was the closest thing I've had to a date in months anyway. I don't care if it was 50 degrees and dropping outside, I figured a Sangria was a good way to go since I somehow managed to make it through the entire summer w/o making a pitcher of it at home once! (How'd that happen?) FYI - The Sangria at Outback is not so good. I'm not sure if it was because they used an Australian Cabernet as a base (I don't normally like Aussie wines) or if it was just the way they mixed it, but I'm quite confident that the Sangria I make is much better. I should've gone with my first instinct and gotten the margarita. Anyway, while I was eating my salad course a group of three people decided to sit in the bar area for some reason, but the only table available was this tiny little table with 2 chairs (and frankly, it was small for 2!). They pulled up a third chair but they just looked so pathetic sitting there next to me with their legs all touching and crammed in. I felt a little bad sitting right next to them alone in a spacious 4-person booth (see...I'm not completely selfish!) and considered telling them or a server that they could switch with me if they wanted. But then, I realized that I didn't feel that bad about it and that it really wasn't my place to meddle. I didn't really want to sit at the little table and why should I be inconvenienced? I got there first! (ok, back to the selfish thing.) I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes:
han I thought. Remember that plan to eat half and save the rest? Yeah...new plan...how about eat it all and go home stuffed! Somehow I managed to down the whole salad, a 12oz steak, a loaded baked potato, a Sangria, about 3 or 4 glasses of sweet tea and half a loaf of the free bread! Literally the only thing left was about a bite and a half of potato (they over cooked it -- the skin was dried out). I swear, I'm a fat man trapped in a skinny boy's body! Where does it go??
Anyway after all that beef, I was quite exhausted so I ambled out to the car and started the trek back home. Pretty much hung out on the couch since then. It really was a great lazy Saturday...one I hadn't had in a looong time, but my to do list is no shorter than it was this morning. Let's recap, comparing the list of things I was supposed to do to the list of things I actually did accomplish:
Supposed to do:
I slept in a bit and then had to head up to the office to do a little stuff. I didn't really want to be there, but I wasn't there too long, so it wasn't bad. I then went home to change clothes and called my sister b/c today is her birthday. She didn't answer so I left a voicemail and sent a text--very personal! I also called a friend who I was supposed to help refinish some table she just got...I called to reschedule b/c I wasn't feeling up to it and had other errands to run. Then, I decided to run up to the mall to find Sis a birthday present (I'll be seeing her with the rest of the fam on Wednesday for Thanksgiving, so I'm not really late in shopping...I never mail it, just give it to her then). I drove all the way out to the mall, which is about 15 miles from my house, to go shopping. There are one or two malls closer, but I wanted to head out to that one to browse some specific stores (for me, not her--I know, back to the selfish thing).
I get all the way out to the mall, hop out of my car, and realize I left my wallet and everything else, other than cell phone and keys, sitting on my dresser when I changed pants earlier...yeah, I was thrilled! I thought about just walking around the mall and, if I saw anything, coming back tomorrow, but, decided I didn't have much else planned today and really just wanted to wander around shopping without having to come back tomorrow. So, I drove home, got my wallet, did a couple other things, then drove back across town and hit the mall (Please note, we're already at 45 miles for the day just driving to the mall, not to mention the 20+ miles earlier driving to and from work. Good thing gas is so cheap right now! Ugh!).
I wandered through several stores with the hopes of coming up with a good idea of what to get my sister. Okay, so I didn't actually expect to find anything for her in the men's department of Belk, Banana Republic, Express, Abercrombie, Gap or American Eagle...but I didn't get anything for me there either, so that's good right? In fairness I did go into Williams-Sonoma also (not that I think she's a big cooker, but then again, I don't cook at all and still go into that store pretty much every time I'm at the mall...I don't know why) and whatever bookstore they have in our mall and I could have conceivably found something in one of those. To be honest, I pretty much wouldn't ever buy her clothes anyway b/c, not only do I not know her size, but I think clothes are a very personal expression that are best picked by the wearer. The most I would've gotten there was a gift card, but that's usually a last resort. I really just went for inspiration and to get me in the mood to shop...and if I happened to find a great deal for myself, so be it! I also went into the store I used to work at to say hello to some people I used to work with and see if anything had changed. Other than the Christmas decorations being out, no, it hadn't.
After leaving the mall, I ran up to the tire place b/c I have slow leaks in two of my tires (although o
ne is significantly less slow than the other), both just bad valve stems, I believe, but needed to get them fixed before I head out of town next week. Unfortunately I got there at like 5:58 and they close at 6, so I'll head back Sunday or Monday. I then ran up to Best Buy to continue birthday shopping. I don't really know why I went here, but I thought I might find something. I wandered around looking at things for her IPod, random computer games, DVD's and whatever else. Didn't see anything that worked for her, but I suppose this is when my selfishness comes out. While perusing the DVD section, I noticed that they had a few different TV series deeply discounted...no good reason it seemed, as they were all current a popular shows, but they still had a temporary markdown. I kept walking, looking for a few shows I know my sister likes, when what did I stumble across? The Nip/Tuck DVD's! Lo and behold...they were some of the ones on sale!! Well, only seasons 1, 2 & 
3; season 4 was at regular price, but still, I didn't have any, so I checked them out. Ummm, yeah...each season is normally $45 for the set, but today, they were marked down to $14.99 each! You read that right! So, considering buying the seasons was cheaper than renting them if I ever wanted to catch them, I had to buy all 3. I got all 3 seasons for less than the price of 1 normally! That's not selfish, is it? I mean, how could I pass that up? I stayed in that store clutching my DVD's before checking out, never finding anything for her, but I did see a lot of other cool stuff. Not being a big techie, I don't usually go into electronics stores often, but I think I'm going to have to start!I hopped across the street to Wal-Mart to wander their electronics section for goodies, then looked for a couple things I wanted (didn't find any) and went down to Circuit City. Headed to Barnes & Noble next, which was purely for her b/c I wasn't in the market for books and she reads like all the time, then went to about 5 or 6 other stores. In all the other stores, I was mainly looking for something for me...a ficus or other large plant to stick in a naked corner of my newly rearranged living room, which I never did end up finding. I think I'm just going to stick a Christmas tree there for now and deal with it in January. While in the parking lot of one of the stores, I realized it was getting really late and I was getting quite hungry (no doubt aided by the women reading out loud from a cookbook in Barnes & Noble). I was kinda tired and new I didn't want to go home to make anything when I was done and thought it a good night to treat myself. I remembered I had a gift card to Outback from waaaay long ago, and that it was time I cashed it in. I gave up on the ficus, hit up BAM in a last effort for sister, then went back across the street to eat.
Of course, it was just me eating, which was kinda sad. I mean, ideally I would've wanted to go somewhere like that with a date/girlfriend or at least some friends, but, with no girlfriend or dates (*sigh*) and figuring most of my friends had already eaten/weren't on that side of town, I figured, "Who cares...I deserve, I'm treating." There was an open booth at the bar so I plopped myself down and was watching some football on TV. I decided to order a big steak (12oz.) and got a salad and loaded baked potato, with the intent of eating half and having some le
ftover for Sunday lunch. I thought I could fill up on the free bread too. Oh yeah, I also ordered a Sangria with my meal, since it was the closest thing I've had to a date in months anyway. I don't care if it was 50 degrees and dropping outside, I figured a Sangria was a good way to go since I somehow managed to make it through the entire summer w/o making a pitcher of it at home once! (How'd that happen?) FYI - The Sangria at Outback is not so good. I'm not sure if it was because they used an Australian Cabernet as a base (I don't normally like Aussie wines) or if it was just the way they mixed it, but I'm quite confident that the Sangria I make is much better. I should've gone with my first instinct and gotten the margarita. Anyway, while I was eating my salad course a group of three people decided to sit in the bar area for some reason, but the only table available was this tiny little table with 2 chairs (and frankly, it was small for 2!). They pulled up a third chair but they just looked so pathetic sitting there next to me with their legs all touching and crammed in. I felt a little bad sitting right next to them alone in a spacious 4-person booth (see...I'm not completely selfish!) and considered telling them or a server that they could switch with me if they wanted. But then, I realized that I didn't feel that bad about it and that it really wasn't my place to meddle. I didn't really want to sit at the little table and why should I be inconvenienced? I got there first! (ok, back to the selfish thing.) I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes:"I'm not an unfeeling man, I'm just an uncaring man. What's the difference, you ask? Well, you see, I do feel bad, the problem is, I just don't care!"I think I stole that from a sitcom years ago (Grace Under Fire, maybe?) but I thought it was particularly appropriate and is often accurate to my view. Anyway, another booth opened up shortly there after and they moved to it, so problem solved. The food came with the sub-par Sangria and I guess I was hungrier t
han I thought. Remember that plan to eat half and save the rest? Yeah...new plan...how about eat it all and go home stuffed! Somehow I managed to down the whole salad, a 12oz steak, a loaded baked potato, a Sangria, about 3 or 4 glasses of sweet tea and half a loaf of the free bread! Literally the only thing left was about a bite and a half of potato (they over cooked it -- the skin was dried out). I swear, I'm a fat man trapped in a skinny boy's body! Where does it go??Anyway after all that beef, I was quite exhausted so I ambled out to the car and started the trek back home. Pretty much hung out on the couch since then. It really was a great lazy Saturday...one I hadn't had in a looong time, but my to do list is no shorter than it was this morning. Let's recap, comparing the list of things I was supposed to do to the list of things I actually did accomplish:
Supposed to do:
- Get up early to do laundry
- Go to work
- Help a friend sand her table
- Call my sister
- Find my sister a birthday present
- Wash my car
- Slept in
- Went to work
- Rescheduled friend
- Left sister a voicemail and text message
- Bought myself 3 seasons of Nip/Tuck
- Took myself out to dinner
More Clog Woes
I wasn't going to post on this, but a friend of mine was harassing me about this earlier, so I just had to. I'm still breaking in the clogs for this year and it made for a painful day, haha. Walking around doing errands my back was actually quite sore, then my leg started hurting. Then, later tonight, I got a random cramp in my toe! I can't be sure, but I'm just going to go ahead and blame the clogs. Anyway...since my friend was making fun of me and my shoes (I believe his quote was..."Clogs, you mean like the shoes lesbians wear?") I took a couple pictures for him. I'll share them with you too. Be honored! :)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Bigger than the Spice Girls!
Well, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I think it's safe to say that the blog is now an international sensation! Okay, I'm still stretching it. But when checking the stats on my site (yeah, I track you people!), I noticed I had my first visitor from a foreign country! Someone from New Zealand stopped by the blog briefly! (New Zealand is a country right? Or is it part of Australia?) Anyway, all I know is, they do speak English there, so the person won't actually need this site to understand me.It wouldn't be fair to call this person a reader, per se, since my stat counter said they didn't actually stay long enough to read anything. But the point is, they stopped, I know have international exposure! How exciting!
Man Clogs...and other randomness
Lately, here in good ol' South Kakalak, we've had our first real bursts of fall weather. Well, actually it's been a bit colder than fall, but still, it's finally cool here. That change in weather invites us all to adjust our wardrobes to more fitting cool weather clothes. So tonight after work I had some errands to run and started to get dressed to go out. I didn't really feel like putting on my tennis shoes, but didn't want to go to all the effort of wearing my oxfords. Suddenly it occurred to me "Wait, it's fall...that means you can wear your clogs with your jeans!" I know, I know...man clogs...go ahead and make fun of me! It's okay, I'll accept it, but I still like them because I consider them winter's flip flops--well actually, now that I think about it, they're not really winter's flip flops, since wearing them in winter would mean you have cold heels, or, if you live somewhere where there's actually snow and winter weather, you would have cold and wet heels--anyway, I like them. It's a great way to say "Hey, look at me! I'm being casual by not wearing actual shoes, but I'm stylish enough not to go out in only tennis shoes."
Anyone who's ever worn clogs (man clogs, or otherwise) knows that walking in those is completely different than walking in pretty much any other shoes. Basically, clogs don't stay on your feet the way normal shoes do, and,
unlike flip flops, you don't have a little toe thong to grab hold of to keep them in place. Walking in them is a finely tuned balancing act between forward momentum and gripping on as well as possible with your toes requiring just the right sized stride, pace and foot height when walking. Each year when I put on my clogs for the first few wearings, I have to essentially re-learn how to walk in them. It's kinda embarrassing when, after 24 years of walking, I'm forced to spend a few weeks tripping over my feet and stepping out of my shoes. The worst part training yourself to walk in clogs is the countless times you step out of them and nearly fall over. Of course, once I get through the adjustment period, I become quite comfortable in clogs again and can basically do anything in them...running, climbing things, whatever...it's just the adjustment period which sucks. Oh, the troubles I face, haha!
In other news...I'm still running. I'm so impressed with myself! Tonight, I actually made it 2 miles!!! Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the furthest I've ever run in my life without stopping. It's helped that I've been running around my neighborhood a bit, which has hills, and the park I run in is flat. But it also helps that I run with a friend who continues to push me and doesn't believe me when I tell him how out of shape I am. 2 whole miles! Who would've thought?!
Can't really think what else is going on. Busy week at work this week. We're hosting a few seminars in the evenings and I'm going to ATL Wednesday night to attend a seminar. Add this on top of lots of planning for stuff going on to wrap up our year and I should be quite busy. Other than that, I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week!!! What is going on? I'll be heading up to the mountains again sometime next week, but I haven't yet decided when I'm leaving. Maybe Wednesday? But don't worry, you'll get more posts out of me before then.
Anyone who's ever worn clogs (man clogs, or otherwise) knows that walking in those is completely different than walking in pretty much any other shoes. Basically, clogs don't stay on your feet the way normal shoes do, and,
unlike flip flops, you don't have a little toe thong to grab hold of to keep them in place. Walking in them is a finely tuned balancing act between forward momentum and gripping on as well as possible with your toes requiring just the right sized stride, pace and foot height when walking. Each year when I put on my clogs for the first few wearings, I have to essentially re-learn how to walk in them. It's kinda embarrassing when, after 24 years of walking, I'm forced to spend a few weeks tripping over my feet and stepping out of my shoes. The worst part training yourself to walk in clogs is the countless times you step out of them and nearly fall over. Of course, once I get through the adjustment period, I become quite comfortable in clogs again and can basically do anything in them...running, climbing things, whatever...it's just the adjustment period which sucks. Oh, the troubles I face, haha!
In other news...I'm still running. I'm so impressed with myself! Tonight, I actually made it 2 miles!!! Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the furthest I've ever run in my life without stopping. It's helped that I've been running around my neighborhood a bit, which has hills, and the park I run in is flat. But it also helps that I run with a friend who continues to push me and doesn't believe me when I tell him how out of shape I am. 2 whole miles! Who would've thought?!Can't really think what else is going on. Busy week at work this week. We're hosting a few seminars in the evenings and I'm going to ATL Wednesday night to attend a seminar. Add this on top of lots of planning for stuff going on to wrap up our year and I should be quite busy. Other than that, I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week!!! What is going on? I'll be heading up to the mountains again sometime next week, but I haven't yet decided when I'm leaving. Maybe Wednesday? But don't worry, you'll get more posts out of me before then.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Updates...and stuff I forgot
I forgot to mention about my busy social life over the last couple weeks. That was part of the reason why it took me so long to get the post up. Last week I attended two Halloween parties in as many days. This is actually kinda funny b/c I don't really like Halloween and refused to dress up for either one.
The first party was at the neighbors'. It was on Friday night and I had other stuff to do earlier in the night. I almost wasn't going to go, but figured I'd at least pop in since they were only around the corner. I didn't stay long b/c they were going downtown and I wasn't going to join them. Not much happened at the party, but it was good to see people. Oh, there was one sorta random situation. Another friend was there. This particular friend is really a friend of a friend, who I'm pretty sure I hadn't met until the mutual friend's wedding back in April. We've hung out a couple of times I guess, but in her mind, we're apparently best friends. She has a boyfriend (who's pretty cool and is pretty much also around when we're hanging out), so it's nothing like that. She is quite attractive in my opinion and I wouldn't mind dating her, except that she's apparently a bit crazy. Anyway, she was a sorority sister of one of the neighbors so she was already at the party when I got there. As soon as she sees me, she gives me a big hug, tells me she likes my shirt, and then says I smell good. She liked the cologne I was wearing so then basically thrust herself on me and was hanging on me for a minute or two. It was kinda in a joking way, but kinda in a she's-just-a-big-flirt way too. It wasn't too strange except for the fact that her boyfriend was standing right behind her as she flung herself at me. This wasn't really the random thing though. So later I'm standing in the kitchen talking to Hot Crazy Girl (as she shall henceforth be known) just catching up and what not when she suddenly starts telling me about some friend of hers she to hook me up with. This is the description she gives me of the girl:
2nd Halloween Party...
This party was actually on the Saturday night after my first party. Again, I didn't want to go to this party, but I agreed. I actually only went b/c it was the USC-UT game and I didn't want to sit at home alone watching it. I called a friend of mine (interestingly enough, also a sorority sister of the neighbor and HCG, but that's unrelated) to see if she was having people over or had plans or anything. She told me she was watching with some friends at the party. I knew I wasn't really going to know anyone at the party but thought, what the heck...it could be fun. After picking up the friend (who went as a Christmas Tree to the party) and then going to her boyfriend's to wait for him to get ready, our entourage (which included two of her other friends) arrived...toward the end of the first half! I was kinda mad missing half of the game, seeing as how that was the only reason I was going, but I kept my mouth shut. They were playing horribly the first half anyway. When I got there, I thought about heading to the kitchen where everyone was standing to be social and at least try to meet some of these people, since I was sitting in their house, drinking their liquor and eating their food, but then I thought "ehh, I'll never see them again anyway...I'm watching the game." Someone handed me a Jello shot which strongly tasted like Everclear and I watched USC suck it up for the last few minutes of the half. Their poor performance so far drove me to drinking during half time. In the course of half time, I piled on two rum and cokes (one of which was about half rum) and another of the Everclear-laden Jello shots. At this point, I didn't care at all what was going on in the second half! Unfortunately, my plan didn't work so well. It seems that the Gamecocks actually did very well during the last two quarters and came back to make it to overtime. They lost by a missed field goal in the first overtime. The problem is, I was too drunk to remember pretty much anything of the half, but had sobered up enough to somewhat remember the missed kick! Crap! After the game, they too were all going downtown and, again, I didn't want to join them, so I just took my grumpy butt home to pout about the Gamecocks. They all seemed like nice enough people, I guess (although, not really my crowd) but frankly, I didn't really care, haha.
More nights out...
This past week, I spent three more nights out on the town. This is quite unusual for me! Thursday night, I met the neighbors out downtown for a few drinks. I initially wasn't going to go, but needed to pick up their key so I could watch the cats and, I didn't have much else to do, so I agreed. I wasn't really in the mood for a big crowd, but for some reason, there was absolutely nobody downtown, so it was kinda enjoyable. We hung out at one bar for a bit then, they wanted to pop on over to another bar. It turns out both of the neighbors sorta have crushes on a couple of the bartenders at the second bar, so I just kinda hung out and made fun of them. I stayed out much longer than I wanted, but it was good. Friday night, I called some other friends to see what they were up to. A couple of the guys were on their way to dinner when I called, so I met them for drinks after dinner at a restaurant where another friend is a bartender. We stayed there for a bit and another friend joined us. Then we left and went to Ruth's Chris for desert. Amazing Chocolate Mousse Cheescake! mmmm... Not so much in the budget, but oh well. We then went back to one of the guy's condo's to hang out and play Wii and what not. Saturday night, I got an invite to a friend's place (incidentally in the same condo building I was in Friday night) for a little get together. But he told me they wouldn't be watching the USC-Arkansas game, so I told them "No Dice." I ended up going to the friend's condo I was at on Friday to watch the game with him and someone else. The Gamecocks lost again. Oh well, 3 nights out in a row...that's rare for me! Too bad none of them were a hot date. I need a girlfriend! :( I guess there's always hope for the Big-Boobed Blonde! haha
And the update...
I was chatting with the neighbor's roommate yesterday when she came to pick up the key after I cat sat for them. It seems, despite how I mentioned the house was a sty, that they did actually clean before leaving! Yikes! She mentioned something about how she washed the dishes which were piled in the sink stinking or something because they didn't want me to have to walk into a disgusting house, haha! Apparently these girls are just nasty! Glad I don't live there!
The first party was at the neighbors'. It was on Friday night and I had other stuff to do earlier in the night. I almost wasn't going to go, but figured I'd at least pop in since they were only around the corner. I didn't stay long b/c they were going downtown and I wasn't going to join them. Not much happened at the party, but it was good to see people. Oh, there was one sorta random situation. Another friend was there. This particular friend is really a friend of a friend, who I'm pretty sure I hadn't met until the mutual friend's wedding back in April. We've hung out a couple of times I guess, but in her mind, we're apparently best friends. She has a boyfriend (who's pretty cool and is pretty much also around when we're hanging out), so it's nothing like that. She is quite attractive in my opinion and I wouldn't mind dating her, except that she's apparently a bit crazy. Anyway, she was a sorority sister of one of the neighbors so she was already at the party when I got there. As soon as she sees me, she gives me a big hug, tells me she likes my shirt, and then says I smell good. She liked the cologne I was wearing so then basically thrust herself on me and was hanging on me for a minute or two. It was kinda in a joking way, but kinda in a she's-just-a-big-flirt way too. It wasn't too strange except for the fact that her boyfriend was standing right behind her as she flung herself at me. This wasn't really the random thing though. So later I'm standing in the kitchen talking to Hot Crazy Girl (as she shall henceforth be known) just catching up and what not when she suddenly starts telling me about some friend of hers she to hook me up with. This is the description she gives me of the girl:
"She's a really hot blonde girl with big boobs. She looks like Pamela Anderson. I mean I'd totally do her if I was a lesbian. Oh yeah, she's really funny and smart too. She's really sarcastic and has a great sense of humor."Haha, yeah! Oh, and it seems her parents have some horse farm too, so there's probably some money there. Apparently she was coming back up to Columbia with her (they live in Charleston) in a few weeks (i.e. this coming weekend) and she wanted the four of us to get together for dinner. While this would be a fun and exciting prospect, needless to say, I'm a bit skeptical. This is for two reasons:
- Hot Crazy Girl is kinda a flake so I highly doubt she'll actually call me if/when she comes to town.
- Does a girl like this actually exist? I mean, being that she's a friend of Hot Crazy Girl, I don't doubt that she's hot. I'm sure she looks good and has big (likely fake) boobs (which for the record, I don't have a problem with), but I think she might not quite be as intelligent/funny/sarcastic as HCG claims. Additionally, even if all these things were true, I'm thinking she might also be a touch crazy.
2nd Halloween Party...
This party was actually on the Saturday night after my first party. Again, I didn't want to go to this party, but I agreed. I actually only went b/c it was the USC-UT game and I didn't want to sit at home alone watching it. I called a friend of mine (interestingly enough, also a sorority sister of the neighbor and HCG, but that's unrelated) to see if she was having people over or had plans or anything. She told me she was watching with some friends at the party. I knew I wasn't really going to know anyone at the party but thought, what the heck...it could be fun. After picking up the friend (who went as a Christmas Tree to the party) and then going to her boyfriend's to wait for him to get ready, our entourage (which included two of her other friends) arrived...toward the end of the first half! I was kinda mad missing half of the game, seeing as how that was the only reason I was going, but I kept my mouth shut. They were playing horribly the first half anyway. When I got there, I thought about heading to the kitchen where everyone was standing to be social and at least try to meet some of these people, since I was sitting in their house, drinking their liquor and eating their food, but then I thought "ehh, I'll never see them again anyway...I'm watching the game." Someone handed me a Jello shot which strongly tasted like Everclear and I watched USC suck it up for the last few minutes of the half. Their poor performance so far drove me to drinking during half time. In the course of half time, I piled on two rum and cokes (one of which was about half rum) and another of the Everclear-laden Jello shots. At this point, I didn't care at all what was going on in the second half! Unfortunately, my plan didn't work so well. It seems that the Gamecocks actually did very well during the last two quarters and came back to make it to overtime. They lost by a missed field goal in the first overtime. The problem is, I was too drunk to remember pretty much anything of the half, but had sobered up enough to somewhat remember the missed kick! Crap! After the game, they too were all going downtown and, again, I didn't want to join them, so I just took my grumpy butt home to pout about the Gamecocks. They all seemed like nice enough people, I guess (although, not really my crowd) but frankly, I didn't really care, haha.
More nights out...
This past week, I spent three more nights out on the town. This is quite unusual for me! Thursday night, I met the neighbors out downtown for a few drinks. I initially wasn't going to go, but needed to pick up their key so I could watch the cats and, I didn't have much else to do, so I agreed. I wasn't really in the mood for a big crowd, but for some reason, there was absolutely nobody downtown, so it was kinda enjoyable. We hung out at one bar for a bit then, they wanted to pop on over to another bar. It turns out both of the neighbors sorta have crushes on a couple of the bartenders at the second bar, so I just kinda hung out and made fun of them. I stayed out much longer than I wanted, but it was good. Friday night, I called some other friends to see what they were up to. A couple of the guys were on their way to dinner when I called, so I met them for drinks after dinner at a restaurant where another friend is a bartender. We stayed there for a bit and another friend joined us. Then we left and went to Ruth's Chris for desert. Amazing Chocolate Mousse Cheescake! mmmm... Not so much in the budget, but oh well. We then went back to one of the guy's condo's to hang out and play Wii and what not. Saturday night, I got an invite to a friend's place (incidentally in the same condo building I was in Friday night) for a little get together. But he told me they wouldn't be watching the USC-Arkansas game, so I told them "No Dice." I ended up going to the friend's condo I was at on Friday to watch the game with him and someone else. The Gamecocks lost again.
And the update...
I was chatting with the neighbor's roommate yesterday when she came to pick up the key after I cat sat for them. It seems, despite how I mentioned the house was a sty, that they did actually clean before leaving! Yikes! She mentioned something about how she washed the dishes which were piled in the sink stinking or something because they didn't want me to have to walk into a disgusting house, haha! Apparently these girls are just nasty! Glad I don't live there!
Friday, November 2, 2007
I'm Baaaaaaack!!!!
Yes...after my longer-than-expected hiatus, I have returned to the world of blogging. If only that hiatus had been spent sunning my self on the shores of some tropical island. Alas, it was just spent here, doing my usual boring life. Oh well.
Taking two weeks off from the blog almost got me out of the habit of things, but I wouldn't let it go that easily. I know my waiting public would be crushed without me. I couldn't let you all down like that! This post has been a couple days in the making since I do have 2 weeks worth of life to catch up on. Feel free to read it in sections.
THE MOUNTAINS
So I did spend the weekend in the mountains with my parents. Looking back, I guess I never really told you why I was going to the mountains. My aunt & uncle have had a house in the mountains for about 20 years now and we've always gone there for Thanksgiving and occasionally other times in the year. Recently my aunt & uncle bought some property across the road from their cabin and subdivided it into several smaller lots. My parents bought one of those lots and had their own cabin built on it since we've enjoyed going there so much. Their plan is to keep it as a second house for now and then when they retire in 5 years or so, split their time between there and a house in FL (where they currently live, although they'd probably sell their current house and get a smaller one). The house was just about done, so I was going up to help my parents move in furniture that they'd been collecting.
Nothing too terribly exciting happened there. I arrived late Friday night, sometime around 12:30ish or so, as I came directly from my last day of job #2. We were staying at my aunt & uncle's, since we don't have the CO on our house yet. Woke up Saturday and started assembling beds, moving dressers and what not with mom, while dad took the rental truck off to pick up some sofas they had bought from a store up there. The builder and his wife (who happen to be neighbors on the mountain) had told my parents they wanted to take us to dinner to celebrate the new house.
We were a little nervous as to where we might be going, as, after nearly 20 years of visiting the mountains, we hadn't really found any amazing restaurants up there. We also were unsure because we were assured that while this restaurant was good, we would blend right in wearing jeans there (that's not a combination I generally have much confidence in). Well, we ended up eating here. You can read the story on their website if you want, but basically, it's a little mountain lodge that hikers on the Appalachain Trail visit frequently for a good meal and nice place to stay while hiking. They had a little hiking store and some rooms to rent in addition to the restaurant. It actually was a good restaurant and we all had really good food. I ordered some ribs (which the server told me they referred to as "pork lolipops" haha! very down home!) What also made this trip interesting was that the restaurant was located in a dry county (yeah, those still exist, apparently). When they made the reservation, we were told that if we brought our own wine they'd give us gla
sses (it seems you're allowed to have it, just not buy it there). But when we got there, we found out that this place got a winery license last year or so and now makes their own wine...and, in this county when you are a winery, you're allowed to sell your own wine. So, in a rare treat in these mountains, we actually got to order a couple bottles of wine with our dinner. Of course, my mom doesn't drink wine, but fortunately she had a Jack & Sprite in the car (don't worry, she didn't drink alone...the builder, who was driving, had some wine on the way too). Anyway, everyone (myself excluded) got rather tipsy, but we all had more than plenty of food, lots of wine and good company. (Side note- I don't really know why everyone else was so drunk and I wasn't. I had at least two good size glasses of wine, just like everyone else, and the wine was apparently fairly strong. Guess I just have a better tolerance than the rest.) Although my parents had obviously met them, this was the first time I'd met the builder and his wife and they are really nice and very entertaining. They'll make good neighbors! All-in-all a great evening.
Then we went home, I watched Auburn almost beat LSU and went to bed while dad fell asleep on the couch. The next day we woke up, did a little more cleaning at the new house, then packed up and hit the road. Dad had to return the rental truck at some place down the interstate and then I took them to the airport so they could fly home. Of course, once he was in the car, it only took dad about 10 minutes to complain about my driving, but oh well. I quickly put an end to that! haha. After dropping them off at the airport, I went up to the South Park Mall and wandered around (I love that place). Then I hit the road back home. Nice weekend.
**FYI - The pictures are, in order: My Aunt & Uncle's Cabin; Our Cabin (the one in the back); and the view from our front porch.
COMPUTER WOES
As you well know, when I came back from the mountains I found that the power cord on my laptop was no longer working. I think the AC adapter was shot for some reason. After I convinced Dell they needed to send me a new power cord, I waited for it to arrive. Sure enough, a few days later a package arrived. Unfortunately, tho
ugh it was only part of a power cord...and not the part with the AC adapter in it. I called them back and made them send me the correct part instead. Problem is...they sent it to the wrong address. Yeah...they sent the second power cord to my old work, since that was the address I had the computer shipped to originally like 2 years ago. I don't know how many times I have to tell Dell that's not my shipping address anymore. I get a call from the receptionist at my old job saying they have a package there for me. I had to go by that afternoon and pick it up. I didn't really want to go there b/c pretty much everyone around there I want to see any more I will meet outside of work, but oh well. I actually showed up just before the annual Halloween Party began (everyone brings their kids and hops them up on sugar and lets them run around like crazy around the building) so everyone was a little distracted and I didn't have to see too many people. Oh well, computer's up and running again and I didn't have to pay for it...yay!!
MORE WARRANTY FUN
Last week I took my car into the shop to get a general inspection done and I also mention that one of the wheels was making some strange noise. As you'll recall...the car's been making certain noises for a while and I don't know if this was the same noise or completely unrelated, but it got worse while I was in the mountains, so I thought I'd have it looked at. Turns out it had something to do with my CV joints and was going to cost about $1100 to fix. Thankfully, I bought a very comprehensive extended warranty on my car so it covered it. No cost to me. So here's the running tally of what that warranty has gotten me since I got the car about 2 and a half years ago:
TV UPDATES
So, busy week in my TV world. I know I still owe you all so many editions of "What's in Mark's DVR?" but I do need to take a moment to comment on my shows. First off, Nip/Tuck debuted this week! Yay!!! I'll give the full dish on Nip/Tuck later, but I will say it is definitely my favorite show on TV currently. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me! The verdict is still out on this season...it's a bit campy so far, which is a welcome departure from the previous seasons which were a bit heavy, but I just hope they have crossed the line. We'll see.
In more important news...DWTS was a complete and utter shock! Sabrina got eliminated??
!! That's disgusting and appalling and everything horrible. I know I said I hadn't particularly fallen in love with any of the celebrities this season, but Sabrina was far and away the most accomplished and superior dancer this season. The fact that the judges were completely shocked, with Carrie Ann having tears in her eyes, is a testament to the fact that this was uncalled for. I'm not necessarily accusing anyone of anything, but I will say if a hanging chad was involved, I wouldn't be entirely surprised. What's the protocol for a recount? By the end of last season, I was getting ready for a "They Were Robbed" season, where celebrities who got eliminated far too early would be invited back for another shot. Now I think it's almost necessary. Among others, Laila Ali, Mario Lopez, Vivica A. Fox, and now Sabrina, should all be invited for one all out dance war! (No, not like Carrie Ann & Bruno's new reality show, which will probably be lame.) I seriously was stunned for a couple of days and almost don't care how this thing turns out now. I'm disgusted.
***UPDATE*** While looking for a picture for this post, I just ran across this juicy little bit of gossip. At least she got something out of the show! It may not be the coveted shiny mirrored ball trophy, but I guess it's not a bad runner's up prize.
EXERCISING
Still running. Yeah, who would've guessed! It actually hasn't been as bad as it was when I first started. I decided I needed to run a little more frequently than I had originally planned if I actually wanted to get anywhere, but so far it hasn't been near as painful. After 1/2 mile nearly killed me, I pushed myself to running 3/4 miles. Yeah... thought I was going to throw up for a good 15 minutes after that one. I made it though. I've kept pushing myself and now I can do a mile and a half without feeling too bad. I guess this whole exercising thing has its benefits. I mentioned on the phone to my parents the other night that I went running. My dad's response was "What happened, is your car broken?" My mom said "You did what?" Apparently the thought of me exercising is surprising to more people than just me!
THE CAT'S MEOW
I was cat-sitting for some neighbors over the weekend. I don't think I've shared with you my sordid past with felines, but for now, lets suffice to say that the roommate & roommate's wife got an evil sick little cat when we were living together that I didn't get along with so well. Anyway, the neighbors' cats weren't so bad...I did only have to see them twice. The neighbors' house was a complete sty though! Literally, the kitchen floor was covered in laundry and there was a bowl of PJ sitting on the kitchen table which was leftover from a Halloween party I attended there a week before! And it's girls that live in this house!! Wow. Oh well, on the upside, they got a Wii not that long ago, so I stayed there for a couple hours on Saturday playing that while the cats ran around.
Taking two weeks off from the blog almost got me out of the habit of things, but I wouldn't let it go that easily. I know my waiting public would be crushed without me. I couldn't let you all down like that! This post has been a couple days in the making since I do have 2 weeks worth of life to catch up on. Feel free to read it in sections.
THE MOUNTAINS
So I did spend the weekend in the mountains with my parents. Looking back, I guess I never really told you why I was going to the mountains. My aunt & uncle have had a house in the mountains for about 20 years now and we've always gone there for Thanksgiving and occasionally other times in the year. Recently my aunt & uncle bought some property across the road from their cabin and subdivided it into several smaller lots. My parents bought one of those lots and had their own cabin built on it since we've enjoyed going there so much. Their plan is to keep it as a second house for now and then when they retire in 5 years or so, split their time between there and a house in FL (where they currently live, although they'd probably sell their current house and get a smaller one). The house was just about done, so I was going up to help my parents move in furniture that they'd been collecting.
Nothing too terribly exciting happened there. I arrived late Friday night, sometime around 12:30ish or so, as I came directly from my last day of job #2. We were staying at my aunt & uncle's, since we don't have the CO on our house yet. Woke up Saturday and started assembling beds, moving dressers and what not with mom, while dad took the rental truck off to pick up some sofas they had bought from a store up there. The builder and his wife (who happen to be neighbors on the mountain) had told my parents they wanted to take us to dinner to celebrate the new house.We were a little nervous as to where we might be going, as, after nearly 20 years of visiting the mountains, we hadn't really found any amazing restaurants up there. We also were unsure because we were assured that while this restaurant was good, we would blend right in wearing jeans there (that's not a combination I generally have much confidence in). Well, we ended up eating here. You can read the story on their website if you want, but basically, it's a little mountain lodge that hikers on the Appalachain Trail visit frequently for a good meal and nice place to stay while hiking. They had a little hiking store and some rooms to rent in addition to the restaurant. It actually was a good restaurant and we all had really good food. I ordered some ribs (which the server told me they referred to as "pork lolipops" haha! very down home!) What also made this trip interesting was that the restaurant was located in a dry county (yeah, those still exist, apparently). When they made the reservation, we were told that if we brought our own wine they'd give us gla
sses (it seems you're allowed to have it, just not buy it there). But when we got there, we found out that this place got a winery license last year or so and now makes their own wine...and, in this county when you are a winery, you're allowed to sell your own wine. So, in a rare treat in these mountains, we actually got to order a couple bottles of wine with our dinner. Of course, my mom doesn't drink wine, but fortunately she had a Jack & Sprite in the car (don't worry, she didn't drink alone...the builder, who was driving, had some wine on the way too). Anyway, everyone (myself excluded) got rather tipsy, but we all had more than plenty of food, lots of wine and good company. (Side note- I don't really know why everyone else was so drunk and I wasn't. I had at least two good size glasses of wine, just like everyone else, and the wine was apparently fairly strong. Guess I just have a better tolerance than the rest.) Although my parents had obviously met them, this was the first time I'd met the builder and his wife and they are really nice and very entertaining. They'll make good neighbors! All-in-all a great evening.
Then we went home, I watched Auburn almost beat LSU and went to bed while dad fell asleep on the couch. The next day we woke up, did a little more cleaning at the new house, then packed up and hit the road. Dad had to return the rental truck at some place down the interstate and then I took them to the airport so they could fly home. Of course, once he was in the car, it only took dad about 10 minutes to complain about my driving, but oh well. I quickly put an end to that! haha. After dropping them off at the airport, I went up to the South Park Mall and wandered around (I love that place). Then I hit the road back home. Nice weekend.**FYI - The pictures are, in order: My Aunt & Uncle's Cabin; Our Cabin (the one in the back); and the view from our front porch.
COMPUTER WOES
As you well know, when I came back from the mountains I found that the power cord on my laptop was no longer working. I think the AC adapter was shot for some reason. After I convinced Dell they needed to send me a new power cord, I waited for it to arrive. Sure enough, a few days later a package arrived. Unfortunately, tho
ugh it was only part of a power cord...and not the part with the AC adapter in it. I called them back and made them send me the correct part instead. Problem is...they sent it to the wrong address. Yeah...they sent the second power cord to my old work, since that was the address I had the computer shipped to originally like 2 years ago. I don't know how many times I have to tell Dell that's not my shipping address anymore. I get a call from the receptionist at my old job saying they have a package there for me. I had to go by that afternoon and pick it up. I didn't really want to go there b/c pretty much everyone around there I want to see any more I will meet outside of work, but oh well. I actually showed up just before the annual Halloween Party began (everyone brings their kids and hops them up on sugar and lets them run around like crazy around the building) so everyone was a little distracted and I didn't have to see too many people. Oh well, computer's up and running again and I didn't have to pay for it...yay!!MORE WARRANTY FUN
Last week I took my car into the shop to get a general inspection done and I also mention that one of the wheels was making some strange noise. As you'll recall...the car's been making certain noises for a while and I don't know if this was the same noise or completely unrelated, but it got worse while I was in the mountains, so I thought I'd have it looked at. Turns out it had something to do with my CV joints and was going to cost about $1100 to fix. Thankfully, I bought a very comprehensive extended warranty on my car so it covered it. No cost to me. So here's the running tally of what that warranty has gotten me since I got the car about 2 and a half years ago:
- 3 new radios
- 1 new power window motor
- 2 adjustments to another power window motor
- air conditioner repairs
- new CV joints
TV UPDATES
So, busy week in my TV world. I know I still owe you all so many editions of "What's in Mark's DVR?" but I do need to take a moment to comment on my shows. First off, Nip/Tuck debuted this week! Yay!!! I'll give the full dish on Nip/Tuck later, but I will say it is definitely my favorite show on TV currently. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure for me! The verdict is still out on this season...it's a bit campy so far, which is a welcome departure from the previous seasons which were a bit heavy, but I just hope they have crossed the line. We'll see.In more important news...DWTS was a complete and utter shock! Sabrina got eliminated??
!! That's disgusting and appalling and everything horrible. I know I said I hadn't particularly fallen in love with any of the celebrities this season, but Sabrina was far and away the most accomplished and superior dancer this season. The fact that the judges were completely shocked, with Carrie Ann having tears in her eyes, is a testament to the fact that this was uncalled for. I'm not necessarily accusing anyone of anything, but I will say if a hanging chad was involved, I wouldn't be entirely surprised. What's the protocol for a recount? By the end of last season, I was getting ready for a "They Were Robbed" season, where celebrities who got eliminated far too early would be invited back for another shot. Now I think it's almost necessary. Among others, Laila Ali, Mario Lopez, Vivica A. Fox, and now Sabrina, should all be invited for one all out dance war! (No, not like Carrie Ann & Bruno's new reality show, which will probably be lame.) I seriously was stunned for a couple of days and almost don't care how this thing turns out now. I'm disgusted.***UPDATE*** While looking for a picture for this post, I just ran across this juicy little bit of gossip. At least she got something out of the show! It may not be the coveted shiny mirrored ball trophy, but I guess it's not a bad runner's up prize.
EXERCISING
Still running. Yeah, who would've guessed! It actually hasn't been as bad as it was when I first started. I decided I needed to run a little more frequently than I had originally planned if I actually wanted to get anywhere, but so far it hasn't been near as painful. After 1/2 mile nearly killed me, I pushed myself to running 3/4 miles. Yeah... thought I was going to throw up for a good 15 minutes after that one. I made it though. I've kept pushing myself and now I can do a mile and a half without feeling too bad. I guess this whole exercising thing has its benefits. I mentioned on the phone to my parents the other night that I went running. My dad's response was "What happened, is your car broken?" My mom said "You did what?" Apparently the thought of me exercising is surprising to more people than just me!
THE CAT'S MEOW
I was cat-sitting for some neighbors over the weekend. I don't think I've shared with you my sordid past with felines, but for now, lets suffice to say that the roommate & roommate's wife got an evil sick little cat when we were living together that I didn't get along with so well. Anyway, the neighbors' cats weren't so bad...I did only have to see them twice. The neighbors' house was a complete sty though! Literally, the kitchen floor was covered in laundry and there was a bowl of PJ sitting on the kitchen table which was leftover from a Halloween party I attended there a week before! And it's girls that live in this house!! Wow. Oh well, on the upside, they got a Wii not that long ago, so I stayed there for a couple hours on Saturday playing that while the cats ran around.
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