Voices in Veloche's Head

Springtime

2009-03-30T10:29:00.001-04:00

Springtime is here. Its time to clean out the cobwebs of my mind and the dusty volumes of my life - and put them all down here. Big changes ahead. Stay tuned. You won't want to miss this.

Hopes

2009-01-20T00:48:00.002-05:00

My friend Saucy is going to a new hospital to have them deal with her cancer analysis / treatment. Going to a new place is scary, as if the cancer itself isn't scary enough. I admire her for being as strong as she is in the face of it all, even though I remember my mom saying to me, "What else am I going to be? All I can be is me. Sometimes I'm a wreck, others I'm numb to it all. All I can be is me."

I am worried about Saucy. I love her. See,..... she's my bestest friend & has been the most awesome lunch buddy EVER. I worked with her for the past 5 years and now I have a new job. I don't get to see her or eat with her every day like I used to. And that concerns me. I don't WANT a new lunch buddy. I want my Saucy back. I wish I didn't have to move on with the job scene. But I did. :/ And while I'm happy I found a permanent job that pays more, I still miss my Saucy.

But right now (well,.. in the morning after I write this) she'll be on her way to the new hospital. I know her husband is going with her, but I wish I were going with her; to comfort her and let her know it'll be alright, to hold her hand sitting there in the doctor's office, to simply, BE there for her. Is that so wrong, to want to be with your best friend in times like that? I sure hope not. And if it is, I don't care. I want her to know I'm here for her. In any capacity I can be.

Good luck Saucy! You're in my thoughts hon! **hugs** I hope everything turns out well at the new place. Please text me to let me know how you're doing. And don't even hesitate a second to call if you need anything, even if its just to hear a friendly voice. :-)

Stuff

2008-12-06T18:57:00.002-05:00

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff - as an update. If only it were that easy, huh? lol

So, a lot has happened since that last post. Someone I thought was a friend isn't. Someone I thought could make a great friend is.

I got a new job that I haven't started yet. They're doing the background check and I'm a bit worried about it this week since I haven't heard anything from them. That current boss I have, and a coworker that is really defensive right now about his job, (and is doing everything he can to please the boss),.. are two of the three people the new job will call about me. The current boss refused to answer any questions about me, which I guess is good in a way. At least she isn't saying anything negative. I wonder how long the current boss will be in her job. I've caught her in lies. She's obviously got an agenda. I guess it will be a matter of time. And I'm happy I'm getting out of the situation. The crazy thing is I know stuff about her, but the biggest complaints I hear are from students. That's sad, as we're supposed to be here to serve the students.

I sincerely hope and feel that my new place of employment is more student focused. I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime I'm extremely busy. Last week of classes just wrapped-up, finals week is next. I'm trying to juggle a bunch of stuff at once. Plus, I need to box up my old office and get ready to move into a new one. I forsee long nights ahead. I can make it though.

Getting Laid Off is not as good as Getting Laid.

2008-08-12T00:24:00.000-04:00

Ugh, I got a letter the other day stating that after spring semester I won't have a job. I don't know what I'm gonna do.

And to think I'm host / coordinator of a Public Speaking contest this semester (that I alone created!!! And solicited funding to the tune of $1,000 a year to give students prizes!!),... in addition to teaching FIVE classes!

PLUS, I'm THE technical guy of the department, the one figuring out how to transition from VHS recordings of speeches (you know, with those bigass VHS camcorders) to Digital recordings (with new cameras I suggested we order) in order to PODCAST the speeches! >.<

PLUS, I'm the guy that came up with and created a viewing lab for students so they would have a place to watch their recorded speeches if they didn't have the capability at home or in their dorm.

PLUS, I'm THE guy everyone in the department goes to in order to figure out how to get their classes in WebCT so they can do online grading, etc.!!! I host an annual "WebCT for teachers of Public Speaking" workshop AND I setup individual appointments with half the public speaking teachers to help them each semester!

PLUS, I'm one of the 3 coordinators at UWG for hosting the 2009 Georgia Communication Association conference! I'm one of three guys that took the initiative to bring the conference to our University and will be working it in February!!

Some damn nerve they have firing me.. oh excuse me,.. laying me off due to "budget cuts." Yeah RIGHT,.. it had nothing to do with hiring 3 new tenure track people with big salaries or with buying ALL the tenured track folks brand new office furniture in the middle of a State mandated budget cut! >.<

AND,.. I found out today that the "interim department chair" that is not renewing my contract KNEW I wouldn't be getting a new contract for next year about a MONTH ago at LEAST. But of course she didn't tell me. Why? Because if she told me any sooner than a week before classes start, she was afraid I might find another job, and then take it, leaving her in a lurch THIS semester trying to find someone to cover my classes. Nice of her, huh?!?

Great,... now I have to find a job by next April that will hire me at the end of my contract (unless I can find one by Friday which is when I sign this year's contract). Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good job and say to the new employer, "I'm going to love this job,.. but can you make my start date the end of next April?"?!?!?!?!?

UGH! I am FURIOUS!!!

Someone hug me please... before I fucking explode.

A MeMe - just 'cause... now shut up!

2008-07-21T12:01:00.002-04:00

1. Where is your cell phone? .....beside me

2. Your significant other?......... at work.

3. Your hair? ......... messy

4. Your mother? ...........died 3 years ago

5. Your father?........... in Florida

6. Your favorite thing?............sex

7. Your dream last night?............. not sure.. probably sexual. LOL

8. Your favorite drink? ............. Mountain Dew or Cream Soda. Hmmm

9. Your dream/goal?.............. happiness and tranquility with lots of amazing sex and to be surrounded by nature in a modest yet nice home

10. The room you're in?.............. home office.

11. Your ex?.............. evil bitch that set me back years and years in debt

12. Your fear?............... losing love

13.Where do you want to be in 6 years?...... can't say

14. Where were you last night?............. in front of the computer

15. What you're not?................skinny

16. Muffins?................... sure, thanks

17. One of your wish list items?............. a car that gets 75 mpg

18. Where you grew up?............... Georgia & Florida

19. The last thing you did?................. checked email

20. What are you wearing?................ shorts

21. Your TV?.................. ginormous and amazing

22. Your pet(s)?........................ a toy poodle

23. Your computer? ...................... is getting outdated. =/

24. Your life?.................... needs more smiles and laughs

25. Your mood?...................... mellow

26. Missing someone?................ yes

27. Your car?.................... F-150 pickup truck

28. Something you're not wearing?............ shoes or a shirt

29. Favorite Store?................. electronics store

30. Your summer?................. hot and lonely

31. Like someone.....................yes

32. Your favorite color?................... blue, today

33. Last time you really laughed.................... a few nights ago

34. Last time you cried?.................. a few weeks ago

Catch-up

2008-07-02T13:19:00.018-04:00

Okay, time to play catch-up. Wow, have things been busy around my house! Nattsu's parents have been visiting us for 3 months. They left this last weekend, and wow were those three months busy. It started out with taking Yasuaki (her dad) to the Master's tournament practice rounds. Then there were all sorts of events / things to do with them, & places to go.

One big thing we did together, was work on my yard. Thanks to them and thanks to them motivating me (lol) we got a lot accomplished.

My dad even came to visit along with Mom (Lynn) and Grandma (Dot Dot). We definitely had a house full but it was a great time.

Yep, that's my dad in the blue shirt. Do you see any resemblance? And that's Dot Dot in the white sweater. She's AWEsome! I love my grandma! She loves to dance too.

We also had some big storms come through. Here's my dogwood that snapped in half. I also had a maple tree snap in half and go over my neighbor's fence. Ugh. And my roof still isn't fixed from the hail, but at least the siding is, which is where the water was coming in.

And the modifications don't stop with the backyard. Did I tell you already I had to rent a jackhammer to dig a front garden along my entrance walkway? The form had broken where they made the walkway and just covered up all the concrete (varying from 2 to 10" thick) with about an INCH of dirt. Since plants require more than an inch of dirt for their roots, here I am jackhammering my way through the concrete to make a garden.

Yasuaki also formed a special relationship with my dog. He would walk him every day and they'd even wash his feet off when he came in from his morning excursion,.... with warm water! Needless to say, my dog formed a bond with him right away.

Isn't that precious?!? Speaking of precious,... my brother, sister-in-law, and their new baby came to visit us on their way home from sis's parents house in Alabama. It was the first time I've seen my new niece. She's adorable!!!
Also lately, we've been having some amazing sunsets. We always do this time of year in Georgia. I love the colors in the sky. My mom used to call this one sky-blue-pink. That will forever be the name of the color, mom. :) We also had a special chef come and prepare some traditional, Japanese cuisine for a bunch of guests. The food looks pretty interesting, doesn't it? We even took them (Yasuaki & Katsuko) to Stone Mountain Park. We had a blast.
I especially enjoyed the top of the mountain. Its so serene, so peaceful, tranquil. I loved listening to the wind blow up there, and the feeling of the fresh crisp air.
The fireworks show is always great too. They were impressed with how patriotic it was. They said they had a terrific time in the U.S. and I'm glad they made the trip over. They'll be missed now that they've gone back to Japan.

Well, I know that left out a LOT of stuff,.. but I think this was a pretty good summary of the past three months. I know they were busy, but they sure were exciting. Now things are starting to get back to normal, although a few things have changed. I'm determined to lose some weight after seeing myself in these photos! lol - I started an exercise program this week and already my muscles are sore. But I'm going to keep it up. I'll have to post my progress here for you.

Have a terrific day and I'll see you again soon. Thanks for visiting! :)

Been a while...

2008-04-11T11:33:00.004-04:00

Yeah, I know its been a while since I posted. Sorry bout that. A lot has happened as of late that has kept me busy. For one thing,.. hail. Yes, hail rained down like mad and has caused me much headache already. Hail did about $3,000 worth of damage to my truck and about $11,000 damage to my house. Yes, hail - golfball size to tennis ball size hail. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself!

Yeah. THOUSANDS of those drove down, thrown around by almost tornado force winds, into my house and truck. They put holes everywhere in my siding and shingles. Dealing with insurance companies is never fun, but even worse than that is dealing with lienholders. Did you know that in the State of Georgia, if your damage is more than $10,000 to your home, the insurance companies must cut the check not to the homeowner, but to BOTH the homeowner AND the lienholder? What freakin good does that do? The damned lienholder isn't the one that has to pay for all the repair work!!! What a stupid fuckin' rule. Its making my life hell right now, trying to deal with all the contractors to do repairs (which are difficult to contract right now as it is since there was so much damage in the area) much less having to deal with the lienholder in EVERY single case.

Other than the home and the truck repairs / estimations / contractors / lienholders / temporary fixes so rain doesn't damage my home through all the holes / etc..... OTHER than all that I've been really busy at work lately. The last 3 weeks and the next three weeks are the busiest ones of the entire semester for me. Tons of thought and lecture has to go into those weeks and it tires me out at the end of the day.

Oh, but it gets even better, folks! My in-laws arrived from Japan right after the hail storm and are staying with us for THREE MONTHS!!! Yes, you read that right,... three MONTHS! They are pretty cool people, and they're fairly easy to get along with since they don't speak much English (they speak mainly Japanese). And I don't speak much Japanese. But you can imagine how having in-laws in your home can add to the stress and business factor of your day.

There is some GREAT news though! My brother Ken and his wife Sherry just had a baby girl, Karissa (I think that's how you spell the kid's name). I really want to go down and see her right now but I can't! And believe me, that makes me really sad right now. But I'm extremely happy for them and I can hardly believe it. I think Ken will make a good dad. I think Sherry will make a good mom. And of course, being the uncle I know its my job to be the crazy relative that sends the kid all sorts of noise-making toys, etc. Hehe! I already sent one that makes noise. :) I hope to get down there soon to see her. :)

Anyway, readers,... I hope all is well in your worlds. I'm surviving in mine. Cya soon!

2008-02-16T11:25:00.002-05:00

If you read my last post you'll know I was wondering what kind of a SIGN it was. Here's a totally different kind of sign. I've been seeing a lot of signs lately,... of all sorts. For instance,.. I saw one last week that read, "New, 'All-Day Laundry' - Now open 24/7 !" If its 24 / 7,.. what happened to the night? Not too long ago I saw a turkey standing underneath a deer crossing sign. And now the bird fiasco.

Isn't it funny though, sometimes we can see all the signs, but don't understand what they're trying to tell us? I still haven't quite figured out the bird one yet but I'm working on it. I'm also sure I'm missing a ton of signs somewhere. If they were only clear in meaning and were neon so I wouldn't miss them.

The Beauty of God - Greeks vs. Christians

2008-02-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a psychology class this semester and we're taking a historical approach to understand where and how different thoughts came about. The other day in class we were discussing the ancient Greeks and the transition from a holistic approach of the world, to the medieval Christian dualistic approach.

Greeks viewed things from a holistic perspective - there isn't just this "thing" but there's also the "essence of this thing" and they are inseparably tied together just as they are tied to everything else in the world, for the things this thing is not, make this thing, this thing, and this essence what it is. Therefore, everything is bound together, part of everything else,.. all, one big whole. This included the Gods and Goddesses. Gods played amongst humans, delighted in toying with us, changing our destinies, some even slept with humans. The point is, Gods were among us,.. everywhere,... IN the essences of things.

When (Medieval) Christianity came along, Jesus' followers wrote gospels, and the Church determined with the council, which writings were acceptable. Gospels such as those according to Thomas & Phillip were denounced as being real & acceptable. Thomas & Phillip wrote of what Jesus said that was more holistic in nature. "Lift a rock and I am there, split a piece of wood and you will find me." Meaning, God can be found everywhere, all among us,.. more of those gospels indicate that one need only look WITHIN oneself for the Kingdom of God. (Upon reading a lot of these "banned" gospels one can see that self-enlightenment is the way of/to Heaven/God.)

But the medieval Christianity decision-makers couldn't have this. They wanted a Church for structure. Constantine wanted you to hear his words (his agenda of government) through the words of the Church. Christianity was declared the national religion and tons of people were slaughtered until everyone converted out of fear. Gnostics (the holistic approach people left over from the Greek line of thought), confirmed their beliefs due to the banned gospels, but went into hiding and were all but driven to extinction by the Church.

The Church taught, "no, no,... the essence of being and that thing there are two SEPARATE things. They're not bound together inseparably,.. God exists,.. THERE,... and we exist HERE... while he is among us,.. while we can hold him dear in our hearts and thoughts, he is not IN us as you suggest." This dualistic approach meant that there was a separation,... and it helped the Church establish a protocol that meant they could build churches and people would have to come to THEM to talk to God,... sure you could pray,.. but to really talk to God,.. to hear his voice,... you have to have the message mediated by these priests, and therefore, you must attend church services.

(If you're interested I can point you to places in the banned gospels that retell Jesus' words of "where" the Kingdom of God actually lies... - within oneself. I'm not really religious,.. more spiritual,... but they are pretty cool readings to think about.)

Then our professor told us he thought it was kindof ironic,.. that Christianity had people come into the churches,... huddle together in these shelters,.. close some huge oak doors behind them, shut off from the world,.. (notice the separation here?) ... and inside,.. INSIDE, huddled together,.. closed off from the world,... INSIDE the people learned about the glory and beauty of God. The ironic part is,.. when services are over,... the big oak doors open,.. people go outside,.. and OUTSIDE is where they behold the beauty and glory of God,... they can look up into the sky,.. at night see a wonderment of stars,.. in day see beautiful blue skies,... see white puffy clouds,.... the majesty of the heavens,.. etc.

That's about where that class ended.

So here I am,... huddled together in a classroom building, shut off from the world,... so I go outside,.. to a gorgeous day. I begin walking toward my office's building,.. and I look up into the sky,... it is absolutely amazing,.. white puffy clouds,.. amazing blue serenity above,..... and I think to myself,.. this.... THIS,.. is the beauty..... and just then,.... a bird shits on my head.

I couldn't make this shit up (pun intended). A bird SHAT on my head. No lie! Now, I don't know what kind of a SIGN that is,.. but thinking back its been cracking me up for over a week. I thought I'd share.

The time approaches

2007-12-31T08:51:00.000-05:00

The New Year rapidly approaches and the old year begins to fade into history. What will the new year hold? What will be remembered from the old year? Let me summarize,... for me.

I'm not sure what the new year will hold. I know there are some changes coming at work but I'm not sure how those will affect me. I do know I'm going to have to do more work, and soon too. This isn't a bad thing, but it has both advantages and disadvantages. On the home front I'm not sure what will change. Let's hope things change for the better. Less arguments would be nice. Planting some trees would be nice too. I don't normally do resolutions, but we'll see soon if I come up with any befitting the new year.

Below is a "me-me" I stole from my friend Saucy's page. Thanks lady! ;)

Happy New Year to you all!

1) Where did you begin 2007? At home. N fell asleep. I woke her up to watch fireworks on tv, but of course she just grumbled and went back to sleep.

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day? The same as it was before Valentine's Day.

3) How did you earn your money? Teaching, enjoying some moments, dreading others.

4) Did you have to go to the hospital? Yes, took N to the hospital once and I went as well for my annual checkup. When I had blood drawn by the VAMPIRE WOMAN I almost fainted. You can read all about that in the archives if you really want to.

5) Did you have any encounters with the police? Yes, that damn speeding trap! I hope the cops go home smelling like that dumpster they hide behind with the speed gun!

6) Where did you go on holiday/travel? This year, really nowhere special.

7) What did you purchase that was over $1000? Plasma TV

8) Know anyone that passed away? Not personally. The last family to go was Grandma Dass. She was a great lady.

9) Did you move anywhere? No

10) What concerts/shows did you go to? I am so boring. Not one.

11) Are you registered to vote? Yes

12) Where do you live now? In a typical suburban home with a dog and a 2-car garage.

13) Describe your birthday. I dinged 36!

14) What's one thing you thought you wouldn't do but did in 2007? Get into a wreck

15) What has been your favorite moment/s? I can't really tell you about that, but let me say it was special. I'm a lucky guy to have the friends & family I have.

16) What's something you learned about yourself? That I can care for people even when they don't care for themselves, and that its okay to not let it effect my mood when they let themselves down. Working with students has been an ongoing experience.

17) Any new additions to your family? No.

18) What was your best month? Right now, I'd say December, hehe ;)

19) What music will you remember 2007 by? "Have you ever really loved a woman" - From the Don Juan De Marco soundtrack

20) Who has been your best drinking buddy? I don't drink much.

21) Made new friends? Yes

22) Favorite Night out? You don't need the details, but let me just say, it was AMAZING.

After Christmas

2007-12-27T12:48:00.001-05:00

Well, Christmas has come and gone... and I've been slacking in my posts again. I guess I've not felt too inspired to post lately, or maybe I'm just too lazy too post,.. or maybe its that my media time has been spent doing other things. "Media time" you ask? Yes, media time. There is some research out there that says each individual has a set amount of time they will spend on media consumption/use per week. Of course it varies, but within a very small range (tolerance). Of that designated weekly media time, a person will switch between media.

For instance, if my media time is 20 hours a week, one week I might spend 15 of it online and 5 of it watching television = total, 20 hours. Another week I might spend 12 of it online, 3 of it reading, 3 watching television, and 2 listening to the radio - for a total of 20. Etc. So lately, I've been spending more of my media time online gaming than I have watching television or posting and reading blogs.

So far, Christmas break has been good. Our dear friends Thomas and Hiromi with their son Theo came and visited us from Texas. Its always great to see them. They're great folks! Thomas and I talked all about robots. He builds them for competition stuff. I just admire them and think of new ways to do mechanical things. I guess that comes from my designer background, but I love figuring out new ways to do things mechanically. I know this sounds odd to those of you that know me personally, because I'm not good with automobiles. I always take my vehicles to a shop. The only work I've ever done on cars was to replace a starter, alternator, or something like that. But I have a good grasp of what will work and what is impossible and I can envision things, how they would work, and then draw the designs.

To be honest, I'd love to learn how to weld, and I wish I were more mechanically inclined with my hands. I've been thinking some time now about making a human-powered helicopter. There's a competition that awards thousands of dollars if you can get one to stay aloft more than ONE minute. Yes,... ONE. There are a lot of challenges in accomplishing this, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I also want to create a human-electric powered car, but the electronics of it is a bit beyond my ability. But I have some ideas I think would be awesome in application.

Santa was good to me. I raked in all kinds of uber loot. I'm looking forward to playing "Scene It - Movie edition" soon! And I'm very happy about my new Mage T-shirt my friend V got me (I've worn it twice already - hehe)! I'm also pretty stoked that I got a new backpack for my Magic cards & RPG books. The old one I was carrying to those sessions was getting a bit ratty.

Today, Caryl arrived from Boston, N's old college roommate. She'll be staying with us for a few days. She hasn't seen the new house yet. I wonder what she'll think - being that she pays more than my house payment for rent on a small apartment. Gotta love the South! ;)

Well,... Happy Holidays to you all! More again next time..... Peace!

Thankful

2007-11-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

This year I'm staying home instead of making the annual trip to my dad's ranch. I know its selfish, but between a massive amount of paperwork, feeling sick, having trouble with my gallbladder (apparently), and a few more reasons, I just won't be making the drive. Yes, I know Grandma's getting "up there" and yes, I know this would be the first time I've seen Laura, my cousin via Uncle Jim since I was about 10. But I'm tired, stressed, feeling ill, and holy shit, have you seen the gas prices lately? So I'll stay home this year, get a lot of work done this weekend, and finish putting up things in the dining room. I might even break out a few Christmas decorations. We'll see how that goes.

And this week is Thanksgiving. I'm certainly thankful for a lot of things in life. So here's my list of things for which I'm grateful (and yes, I stole the idea of including some not-so-serious things, from a close friend). I am thankful for;

My family
My friends
Reese's Banana Creme Cups (Elvis Edition)
Cinnamon Toast candles
fall days
changing leaves
nice weather
neckties
Chik-fil-A
Zaxby's
grass (not THAT kind)
Comfy bedding
Verizon cell phones
text messaging
photo messaging
dog cuddles
sunshine
rain
my home
pumpkin bread
blogspot
email
World of Warcraft
Irish Spring soap
afternoon naps
looking people in the eye
long showers
a sturdy desk
Plasma HDTV
smiles

Buncha Stuff

2007-11-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, where to start.... I know its been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that. I've been pretty darn busy. There're several things I want to talk about & get off my chest.

Mom - I found out just a couple of weeks ago in casual conversation with my brother Ken via phone, that mom's ashes were no longer in the Funeral Home. It was really starting to piss me off that they were still in there. It'd been too long. But then I didn't find out until after the fact that Larry (her husband for those of you just tuning in) got them out. Ken said maybe Larry isn't ready to let go and that's why they're probably in an urn in Larry's house. At first I was accepting of that but after stewing on it a couple of weeks, this is really starting to upset me that Larry hasn't said anything to me about this whole issue. I know the guy's a bit on the quiet side, but this is my mom we're talking about here.

Its been 2 YEARS since mom died and her ashes still aren't where she wanted them to go. They're in an urn in a house in South Georgia. Those were not mom's wishes. Mom said she wanted her ashes spread in the woods in North Georgia when the leaves were turning. I live in North Georgia. I asked them to come up and do it the first year but everyone was too upset. I begged last year for everyone to do it. Everyone was too upset and there was probably too much hunting and fishing going on for a free weekend. Well damnit, we're GOING to be upset. But those were mom's wishes!!!!!!! The leaves ARE turning. If her ashes don't get spread this year I'm going to be incredibly infuriated. This can NOT go on any longer. Mom visits me in my dreams and tells me to get her ashes spread.

Work - Work is going well except its really busy right now. This semester I have the laziest bunch of students I think I've ever had. Yes, I do have a few outstanding students, some that are surpassing the standards and doing excellent jobs, but many are barely scraping by and even more just not doing the work or showing up to class. This semester I'm going to have the largest number of students to fail than I've ever had. I'm also on a committee to bring the Georgia Communication Association to our University, so that's causing more work. I'm also the department technological consultant by default, and that's causing me headaches because there've been issues coming up with a new way of recording student speeches. The cameras I wanted to use I can't use now after speaking with the manufacturers, etc.

Work issue - Oh, and that issue with the couple at work that harrassed me and my friend,... yeah. I'm really starting to get pissed about that again too. The husband posted on a different blog his hatred for a former coworker and his biased opinions of his former department's work. If he continues that crap, he's going to have to start dealing with the University and not just lil ole me. Thank goodness I was cleared of all charges. The Dean, the University lawyers, our Human Resources team, and the Department Chair all met about this issue and determined that nothing I did could have been construed as sexual harrassment. Nothing will be put on my record. And due to all this, I requested that it be noted in her personnel file that she falsely accused & reported me. It is kindof sad that women that do that give other women a bad name on the sexual harrassment front. I'm certainly against harrassment, have advised female friends in the past to report wrongdoings, and even got a teacher fired once for propositioning female students. But when a person like this cries wolf just to try and get revenge, it hurts the equality movement. That's sad.

School - I'm considering getting another degree, yes, a Doctorate. I know, I know, I'm a glutton for punishment, but I think it'd really be worth it. The trick will be actually assigning the time to do it all, teach 5 classes or 4 classes a semester, and still do an assistantship as well once my coursework is done. And of course there's the dissertation. Ugh. I am both excited and worried at the same time.

My Friend - A very good friend of mine is right now, as I type, "under the knife" as they say. She's having a very complicated surgery and there may be some negative results of the surgery. I'm hoping that all goes well. ---- What a coincidence... I JUST NOW got a phone call that said she was out of surgery, and the doctor relayed that things went fairly well however there was one really tricky spot and he needs to come talk to us more about it. But he had to go back into surgery right away for another patient before he can come out and talk to us some more. We don't know yet if my friend will have the very scary negative results or not. I'm sure thousands of prayers are being said right now for her. I know she's certainly on my mind.

Home - The house is shaping up slowly but surely. I'm excited and hopeful that my new grass will make it through the winter. I really like the amount of grass we have now. The puzzle now is in figuring out what to do with the back half of my backyard. Right now, past the sod, there's a large dirt open area, as wide as my lot, that goes all the way to the back fence (about 40 feet past the sod). Any ideas on what to do with it? I don't want to mow more grass than I already have. Nattsu said she wants to plant a big garden there, once so filled with flowers and bushes and trees, we won't have to maintain it. I'm thinking that'd be a good idea, with a few pathways cut through it. But I also don't want it to look too messy. I welcome suggestions of what to do with this area, the type of plants to use, ideas for structure, etc.

Wow, I know that was a lot, but at least now you're somewhat caught-up. Sorry it took me so long to post. I'll try to post a bit more often. ;)

What a month

2007-09-22T10:18:00.001-04:00

I know I haven't been posting lately but wow has it been busy! I guess I need to catch you up-to-date, eh? On top of all this shit that's happening, I'm sick as a dog,.. a bad bad case of pharyngitis. I even went to the doctor, and you all know how sick I have to be before I do that!!! But,... First things first I guess,...

To you friends and family members that didn't know what that last post about stalking etc was about... there was this couple that worked at the place I do, yet in a nearby department. The husband was dismissed. He started blaming a friend of mine and posting personally identifiable information on her blog on which she used a pseudonym for anonimity, which as you can tell by my post, was illegal to do. No, we did not call the police on him for that violation. We were nice about that. But he kept harassing us by emailing me at work, by talking to coworkers, through posting comments on her blog, etc. In one of his comments he told me to "back down little man" etc. Those of you that know me from South GA know that's the wrong thing to say to a SGA guy, isn't it? LOL

After replying to his e-mail stating if he ever contacted me again I'd consider it harassment, I didn't hear from him and I'd hoped that was the end of it. Then one day I got called to the Dean's office to talk about a report his wife filed against me.

Let me describe the scene; Over a MONTH BEFORE all this shit happened, I walked into their office one day, there she sat, tears in her eyes. I asked what was wrong. She was afraid to go in for her first ever MRI. I told her about my dad's surgery that might be the same condition as she had, and that it would all go smoothly. I asked her if she needed a hug (I always ask ever since I read the EOC legislation when I was working on my Master's). She nodded yes as she wiped tears from her eyes. I gave her a quick hug as she sat in her chair and I stood next to her. I took her hand and said "Its gonna be alright. You'll see. Just know we all care about you and we're pulling for you." That was the end of the contact.

Over a month later, and with all the words from her husband between, she filed a sexual harassment report with public safety about the hug and hand-hold. What the fuck?!? I was being KIND and CARING and you KNOW it !!!! If you're reading this ____ & ____, you should be ASHAMED!!!!!!! Not just that, but to threaten a man's entire way of life?!?!? What kind of sick twisted people continue this bullshit?!? I had nothing to do with his dismissal, nor did my friend. So why in the world would he lash out at my friend or at me when I defended my friend?!? And why in the world would they continue to harass me when I even continued to be NICE to the wife?!? And now over some act that was a month in advance of this situation, in which I was showing compassion and kindness, am I called in for this?!?!? This isn't just a threat, this is an ACTION they took to get me fired, and not JUST fired, but if I got fired over this it would be on my record and public educational institutions would not hire me again. And I LOVE teaching. That's just WRONG of them... SO SO wrong! It infuriates me !!!!! You lying sacks of shit, you need to get down on your knees and beg forgiveness for that one before you end up in the fiery place, because what you did is just WRONG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes me SAD to see how LOW that is. 'Cause you KNOW I was being kind there.

So, I got called to the Dean's office. We had a long talk about the situation. I'm still waiting to find out what's going to happen.

On a totally separate note, because I had nothing to do with this, due to performance issues apparently, the wife no longer works there either. But just because niether one of them works there now, my job is not safe yet. I still have to contend with the charges filed and I have to try and fight to save my career I've worked so hard for. Many of you know I worked my way out of MASSIVE debt, worked 80-100 hour work-weeks to pay off bills, worked on average Two to THREE jobs at a time, and even when I worked 40 hour work-weeks, I went to school for a FULL load of classes,... ALL so I could go back to school and eventually teach.

And now, ALL that may be lost because of these two people, these two ....... I don't even want to say it......... , who have lied about my act of kindness, just to make some sick and twisted game of this. How LOW ...............

Too long or not long enough?

2007-09-04T11:26:00.000-04:00

I've finally done it. At the request of you-know-who, I've broken down and gotten tv service. Saturday of this week Direct TV will be installing a dish and starting service.

Of course, one requirement for me giving in to this was the purchase of a new television and the HD service package. I'm the proud new owner of a 50" plasma 720p HDTV.

Obviously this is all part of my master plan so that I'll be left alone more often and I can then focus on playing WoW without distraction. (j/k sorta) AND... very importantly,.... the new tv has a PC input so when the house is quieted at night by the sleep fairy, I can plug in my laptop and game on a 50" monitor -- that is, IF I can get it to work alright and have decent enough resolution where the items on my screen won't be too crowded.

The television gets delivered today. I might have to purchase a new dvd player and a tuner and speakers, depending on whether or not this new modernized beast can connect to my old ones or not. Nothing I have so far has optical output. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery as to what to be sure I get / do? I want the best picture quality and sound. I've already spent a fortune on the tv. I might as well spend a bit more to be sure I utilize it well.

Internet stalking and harrassment 101

2007-08-11T00:27:00.000-04:00

Hey S***e, you're a fuckhead.

Grow up. Have some balls to post more than just anonymously. To post personally identifying information in comments on someone's blog that is even quasi-anonymous, without their permission is a violation of internet courtsey and is also infringing on the internet stalking act. Don't believe me? Look it up. That's why she used a pseudonym. Don't know what a pseudonym is? Go look that up too.

How would you like it if I posted your full name, social security number, and address and phone number on here? Don't think I don't have access to that information. Wouldn't like it? Wouldn't care? Believe it or not there is a law to protect that from happening, and yes, they do enforce it. The GBI in combination with the DEA enforce it along with some other laws like video duplication copyright violations (like the recent video store owner that went to jail for 450 counts of a felony - each tape copied was a felony).

You made your point, as stupid, poorly informed, misdirected, and ignorant as you are; you made a point. Now, leave well enough alone. I was nice to your wife, and even expressed my concern for her well-being and brought her flowers when she had to go get a scan and was crying and worried. I was even concerned for you when you lost your job. But now you've brought me into this, making a comment about me. You stupid shitheel.......

Mention me again or harrass,... yes, I said the word "harrass" (you know, the one they use in court all the time) me or HER again, and you'll be making a mistake you will not live down.

And no, this is NOT testosterone speaking. Calm down, Beavis. THINK for a minute. REALLY FUCKING THINK. Who did my mom work for?!? Do you REMEMBER when I told you about my mom dying of cancer,.. and who she worked for for the last few years of her life?!?!? Do you happen to remember the fact that she worked for the GBI???

I suggest you drop it now.

"Harrassment is a malicious act of annoying and threatening someone through various means, i.e via emails, via letters with personal motives and reasons."

and more specifically,... GEORGIA LAW dictates;

"A person commits the offense of stalking when he or she follows, places under surveillance, or contacts another person at or about a place or places without the consent of the other person for the purpose of harassing and intimidating the other person."

Don't believe me? Go look it up for yourself.

NOTICE: You did not get her consent to post her name, nor the place of her work, nor did you get my permission to post my name.

Ever heard of Sitemeter Gold?

Do you REALLY think it is a smart idea to fuck with someone that has a Master's degree focused on Mediated Communication; someone who's taken Communication Law and could teach it?!?

The next time you want to pick on someone, pick on someone your own maturity level. I'm sure you can easily find a third grader to play with at the elementary school. Now, fuck off.

sigh and yay

2007-08-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

Its happening. I'm going back to work today. The summer is finally at a close and work beckons.

*sigh*
In a way I'm sad I won't get to sleep in as much and I'll have to put up with students again and I'll be up forEVER grading papers. I'm teaching 5 classes this fall. Ugh.

*yay*
On the other hand I'm happy to be going back - happy to see my coworkers again, happy to be teaching again, and excited for a new semester of learning. I truly do like seeing these young men and women learn. I wish I could be easier on them too, but I know I can't or they won't learn anything.

We'll see how it goes. I'm staying optimistic. :)

That's work. Now for home...
On the homefront I'm battling bugs. Yes, bugs.

(Those of you that don't like bugs, PLEASE STOP READING)

I put out border control stuff and even used the grass fertilizer with bug killer in it. But I'm still getting bugs in the house, 3 specific kinds really.

#1- Silverfish - They're in the attic I suspect since I've found a couple crawling out one of the air-conditioning vents in the ceiling.

#2- Spiders - Small ones on the carpet. I suspect the border stuff isn't working to keep them out and they're coming in along the foundation.

#3- Scorpions - Admittedly I've only found two in my house, one last year and one this year, but still this is one bug that I do NOT want to step on at 2 am when I go to the kitchen barefoot for a glass of water.

Solution? I'm buying so much bug killing product today its going to hurt my credit card's feelings. My house inside and out is going to smell like a chemical factory. The only concerns I have are;

#1 - If I put a bug bomb in the attic, will my air unit kicking on ignite the gas and set my house on fire? Doubtful, but it scares me nonetheless.

#2 - I hope my dog's okay when we come back. He tends to get a bit sick everytime any kind of chemical is in the house. I'm taking him with me so he won't be in the house all day but still, when he comes back I hope his little system will handle it alright.

For a long time

2007-07-26T21:56:00.001-04:00

For a long time I've wanted a tattoo. A long time before that I thought I'd never get one that they just weren't for me. It took me a good year once I knew I wanted a tribalesque dragon to find any I liked. After all that searching I designed my own.

It has a lot of meanings hidden in it. It was sortof my first gaming character (which started out as the pure and innocent Geoffrey Winston III and after some corruption and an infusion of black dragon blood he became a bit more evil in nature, and thus the name Veloche was born).

Also, my initials are in the body of the dragon. All three. If you know my initials, look for them. See if you can find them. :)

There are other things hidden in the design too but that's a story for another time in the future. :D

I LOVE my new (and first ever) tattoo!!! What do YOU think about it??

Evil Inc.

2007-07-24T23:08:00.000-04:00

I run a horde guild in the game WoW, on the Moon Guard server. We just had our first Treasure Hunt and it was a fun success. Here's a pic of some of our antics. :)

Behind Bars

2007-07-18T21:38:00.000-04:00

My brother Joe has been doing illegal things all his life. He's been in jail more times than anybody I know, and yet he thinks something is wrong with the system, that they're just giving him a hard time because he's been in jail before. Funny how he's a "victim" yet amazingly he keeps doing shit that's against the law and ending up back in jail. You'd think he'd see a pattern in all this. Sadly, he doesn't.

He's always whiny too when someone asks him about his time, "Oh, it's 'cause I'm an ex-con and they don't like ex-cons," or "it shouldn't be illegal to sell weed," or "we were just having some fun and nobody was home" (as if its okay to pipe-bomb someone's house while they're on vacation while you're high on crack) or when he was younger, "Oh, I was adopted and my parents fucked me up." The same goes for when he leaves a job, "Oh, they had a thing against me, said I was being racist," or "Oh, that guy was an ass, he was taking too much of my paycheck," or "she was giving me shit and she doesn't know how lucky she was, you know I have a temper."

Well, Joe, its because you're an asshat that lets your emotions rule you. You're not a victim. You're an asshole. I swear, man. ALL your life I NEVER judged you. I NEVER held against you those things that you did. Did I?!? NO!!! I ALWAYS had the opinion that deep down you had a good guy inside you, somewhere. I ALWAYS stood up for you whenever people would say shit about you. No more. You know why? Because you're being a stupid shithead, letting money get to you, letting your emotions vent through your actions the way you do.

As soon as you get some money in your hand from tattooing, you go nuts. I know too, don't try to bullshit me. I know you do coke, I know you smoke weed a lot, I know you drink still, I know you do other stuff too. Don't EVEN try to deny it with me. If you do, you're full of SHIT, brother.

Well, you're THIRTY-FIVE now. You're a grown man, halfway through life, and you're still doing stupid shit that gets you landed in jail. You can't hold down a job to save your life. You can't take care of your baby or the one woman that halfway kept you in line because she cared about you. Joe, here's a message from your brother, you know,.. the one that's always believed in you,... the one that always stood up for you,....... the one that always defended you even to mom and dad when you'd do crazy stuff,.........

GROW THE FUCK UP, STOP BEING AN ASS, KEEP A JOB, STOP DOING DRUGS, THEY'RE RUINING YOUR LIFE WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT. LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE!!!

Seriously, do you plan on being old and bald and still in jail? I hope you take what I've said here seriously since I've never said anything bad to you before. I really truly hope you straighten out and realize you're not going to live much longer if you keep this lifestyle up. That means you're not going to see your kid grow up.

You still have a chance to do something good in this life. You have the chance to take care of that kid, give him what he needs, and have something to show for the goodness buried deep down in you. I hope you take control of your life and stay off the drugs.

Happy AND Sad

2007-07-02T11:36:00.000-04:00

Well the people at the job I really wanted sent me a letter saying the position was filled,... and not by me. This makes me sad. It would've been a great job for my career and for me in general. But this means I'm staying where I am now for another year and this makes me happy. See, there're some pretty darn special people where I work now and I'm happy to be their friend and be able to see them and talk with them everyday. Everything happens for a reason, right? Right! So on one hand I'm sad, and on the other hand I'm happy.

The hunt goes on

2007-06-28T15:20:00.000-04:00

I'm still hunting for jobs. I've had two interviews so far. One was with a local technical college for a public relations specialist. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY like that job description AND its only 15 minutes from my house, against Atlanta commuter traffic! I hope out of all the jobs I applied for, that one calls me with an offer. I know I'd love it. I've always been a fan of technical colleges ever since I went through it and it shaped my life in several ways.

I had another interview today. It was with the Red Cross. The job description sounds fine, and I really liked the people there and I know I'd have fun doing the job, but two things bother me about it. First, when the lady contacted me to reschedule the interview (yes, they postponed an interview) she told me a different time than what the original interview was. (She said, I know we had an appointment for 12 noon today, but..... --- the problem was, the interview was scheduled for 11:30, not 12 noon.) Secondly, the lady that interviewed me showed up late AND she had me do a "writing test."

Excuse me? What?!? A writing test for a person with a Master's degree from the University of Illinois?!? Get real. On top of that, this "writing test" was to write a news release and a letter to pitch their planned event to send to local media. In other words, I just did an hour's work for free for them. How tacky!

I swore to myself I'd never do that again too - free work in an "interview." I once was told in order to get a civil job I had to design a site layout and a company logo (a good 3 hours worth of work or more). I stopped working at an hour and a half and saved my work in a way that they could only look at it and not edit or copy it before putting it on a disk for them. I also told them it was tacky to ask me to do that work and not pay me for my time. Of course I didn't get that job, but guess what.... four months later that company went bankrupt. HA!

Anyway,... the hunt goes on. Meanwhile, I have a contract to work the month of July, teaching again. Fun fun. Time for summer students!

SHhhhhhh! Be vewwy vewwy quiet!

2007-06-14T15:25:00.000-04:00

I'm hunting... JOBS!

I'm really sick of the bullshit people in academia try to get away with.

Let's just SAY there's this person that everyone agrees messed up a job she had before. Someone filled the position that was wonderful at it and straightened some things out, thank goodness. That's great. Then the boss of that person's position is fired because he didn't do anything he was supposed to, that's good - leaving an interim boss, that's good too. But then that wonderful person leaves for more money, that's bad. And then the interim boss starts doing crazy shit like APPOINTING a person to fill the position withOUT consulting the faculty that are under that person's supervision, or anyone else!!!! That's VERY bad! It turns out the person appointed is the person that messed things up in the first place, that's bad too. Still following along?

Why oh why does there have to be so much damn drama in academia? These people are supposed to be well-rounded in culture, life, and education, and yet they make some stupid decisions. And its NOT just this one instance. I see it happen all the time. I think there should be a requirement of HAVING to work in the REAL corporate world FIRST, before ever getting a job in academia. And I'm not talking about being a sandwich artist, either. I mean corporate America, where if you mess things up you're held accountable! In corporate America we strive for efficiency. Somewhere along the lines, efficiency got LOST in much of academia.

Certainly this crap isn't the only reason I've pulled out the shotgun and put on my Elmer Fudd cap, but they do contribute to the reasoning. There are a few more reasons:

Money: I found out my institution pays its "temporary instructors" (that's me) $9,000 LESS a year than the national average for this position. Meanwhile, the same institution pays professors $12,000 MORE a year than the national average for those positions. No wonder they can't keep instructors. And they wonder why they can't hold on to the good ones. DUH, you asshats, get a clue and rearrange the freakin budget!

Desire: I've wanted for a long time to get into a corporate PR-type position. I feel I've waited long enough. I'm going to try and find one that suits me well. Wish me luck! :)

Now, let me get back to my hunting...........

Okay people,.....

2007-06-07T10:33:00.001-04:00

When I posted my Birthday Wishlist I wasn't expecting, but I was hoping someone would get me one of those "hot items." It hasn't come true YET, but I'll wait for it. Maybe someone found me one! :)

This week is going fairly well. My brother Ken came to see me yesterday on his way through to see his in-laws that live in Alabama. Its always good to see you, Brother! I wish I'd taken a picture of me and Ken so I could post it up here. Maybe he'll stop by on the return trip. HINT HINT - if you see this, Ken!

The beginning of this week was kindof scary though. I went to the Doctor to get some bloodwork done. The sweet lady that takes my blood is great. She told me she was a Vampire. She's so spunky I bet she's a bundle of fun to hang out with. She's a bit older than me seeing as she has a son that's 25 but she sure doesn't look it. I kept looking at her ass in those bright green medical pants. I know, shame on me, but hey, I'm trying to prove a point here that she looks great for her age.

ANYway,... she was taking my blood and couldn't find a vein. I wasn't feeling well that day and I didn't drink my normal morning water, so I was getting dehydrated. I also didn't notice the time. It was already around 1:30 pm and I hadn't eaten yet. She stuck me a few times in one arm then switched to the other arm. I don't typically have ANY problem with needles. I've never fainted from them, and I used to sit up and watch Dr. Adams when he'd remove my toenail. Hell, I'd even help.

She was finally drawing some blood from my other arm and I made a comment about it looking more like Jello than blood. I was really dehydrated and all of a sudden I felt HOT. I started sweating like MAD, all over. My arms, legs, back, everything was immediately drenched. I know, gross, right? I asked, "Why is this happening to me?" and my vision blurred, my ears stopped up making it difficult to hear, and I thought I was going to pass out. it felt really strange. I've never had that happen before.

Mrs. Hot Vampire Spunky Lady held my face in her hands, told me in a sweet gentle voice, to look at her, to focus, and take deep breaths. She got me a cold washcloth and wiped my face and neck and arms down and fanned air on me. THANK YOU, you spunky little Minx! Without you there I'd be in the darkness. Soon I recovered and color came back to my face. I'm very grateful to her for what she did. I don't know how rare of an occurence that is, but I'm glad she knew how to handle the situation. I felt kinda bad about it seeing as I certainly didn't anticipate that happening to me. But now I'm totally fine. She gave me some water and I was back to smiling.

So, after a traumatic start to the week and a great recovery, I think I'm in need of one of those hot items off my birthday wishlist below. If you can find a similar model I'm sure she'd suffice. Just send her my way! Thanks. :)

Another year older

2007-06-02T11:23:00.000-04:00

Yep, its that time again! Another birthday is passing and I'm turning 36! What do I want for my birthday? See below. I'll have a few of each, please! [wicked grin]

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-28T18:39:00.000-04:00

Of course I paused today to observe our men and women lost in battle. Of course I stopped to think about and thank those servicepeople both alive and dead, that defended our nation, that took the initiative to serve us and promote democracy.

My sixth great uncle was Thomas Jefferson. My grandfather was in the Marines. My father was in the Air Force. My step-father was in the Army. All my life I've felt very patriotic and proud of our nation.

A long time ago I turned-down a scholarship to go to West Point and tried to enlist in the Navy. I wanted to serve our nation by being on a nuclear submarine. I passed the NQT (Nuclear Qualifications Test) with flying colors and I even went to Atlanta to take the physical and be sworn in. I got to the LAST room right before the 'oath room' and as I sat there taking my eye exam I could hear the group before me taking their oath. I failed the eye exam and was given papers that stated I couldn't join due to my poor vision.

Years later I'd corrected my vision somewhat, I had letters from Senators and Congressmen in hand, but decided then not to pursue what was once my dream. (Thanks Sam Nunn, anyway!) I don't regret that decision, as my life I have now is very different because of that moment. I am pleased with the way things turned out.

I still paused today as I hope all of you did, and honored our lost men and women that gave their lives for a cause.

But as we all know, today isn't just about the memory of lost servicepeople. It is also (and this is not to take away from the day's purpose, I'm just stating what is true) a day off of work. Many people use this long weekend to go on vacation. Some use it to do work around the house. And such is my long weekend spent,... doing work around the house. Today its the recovering of Mom's old dining room chair cushions.

And so, today I also honor my mother. I cherish the memories I have of her, as I recover those chairs I've seen since I was a child. Today is Memorial Day in more than one way for me. I love you, mom. You are missed.

Florida Sun

2007-05-25T09:37:00.001-04:00

Last week I drove down to Florida to visit family. I stopped in Albany, GA on the way and stayed with my friends Keith and Dude. Thanks for letting me crash on the couch, guys! I got to go out to eat with Keith, Jimmy, Susan, and Susan's siblings. I'm glad I got to spend some time with them. They're all great people and great friends. Keith, I'm proud of you man - not only for the weight loss but for taking the initiative to take your career further. Dude, I'm happy I got to hang out and bug you at work a bit. As always, thanks for the great conversations. Jimmy, really good to see you bud and I'm sorry we didn't get to show off tats like we said we would. Maybe next time. :) Overall, my one night in Albany wasn't enough. I wanted to go visit more friends. I'm sorry to those of you I didn't have time to contact. My stay was a bit unexpected. But if you know me, you know this is normally the case with anything I do.

Then I made it down to Florida. Yay! Yes, I know. This is one odd looking trio. But no matter how odd we are, this is me, my brother, and my sister. I love my family very much even as whack as we are. :) I'm really pleased I got to see my siblings. I don't get to see them often at all, but when we do see each other, we always have an immediate connection with each other. Megan, you take care in Gainesville and I hope your transfer comes through! Please let me know what happens with that and your schoolwork. Joe, I wish you the best of luck down in Venice. Don't forget to keep in tough with Carrie, even if it is a phone call a week to find out how Holden is doing. If you don't do at least that, you'll regret it. I hope you do well down there. Keep in touch Bro, so I know where you are if you move again. :)

On the trip to and from Florida, I got rather burnt on one leg and one arm from the sun shining in my truck on one side. I know, hilarious. :P Ha. Ha. My forehead got a bit burnt just because I was out in the sun helping Dad move hay and fence gates and doing things with the cattle. I'm glad I got to spend some time with Dad, Mom, and Dot-Dot. I love you all very much!

All better?

2007-05-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I got my truck back. Yay! I haven't driven it a lot yet although I will soon. One thing I noticed is, the air conditioner doesn't seem as cool as it was before. The weird thing is, I didn't think the AC got damaged in the wreck yet they said it was. Is this some scam to steal my freon? >.<>

As for the driving, I'll find out more soon, but for right now it seems fine, although the brakes seem a bit soft in application whereas before they were pretty taught. And naturally after riding in a little Mazda protege for a few weeks I feel up higher again. This is a good thing though. I hate that after the wreck, Uber (yes, that's my truck's name - I name all my vehicles) just isn't the same. But don't get me wrong, I'm VERY glad to have my own vehicle back!!!

Spring cleaning

2007-05-10T10:42:00.000-04:00

Who am I to break the tradition of posting a "spring cleaning" message?!? I could break the tradition, especially since I like breaking traditions. I'm a rebel like that. But today I think I'll conform. Don't expect the same tomorrow though! Mwahaha!

Anyway,... it is spring. And although the temperature has already hit the mid 80's a few times, it feels like spring with the flowers blooming and the pollen in the air. *takes a deep breath*

Yesterday the stump-grinding guy came out and finished off the stumps that were hidden previously by the 4+ inches of debris left by the former forest in my backyard. I worked in the yard quite a bit yesterday hand-cutting smaller stumps and roots out with an axe. Despite the blisters on my hands and the soreness in my back and shoulders, I feel good about the yard. It is starting to shape up. In a few weeks it will be the perfect time for planting grass seed. (Centipede is planted usually later in spring or early summer.) I've gotten price quotes from landscapers to do that for me, along with a final grading and fertilization / aeration plan.

For now I just have to maintain the place by taking care of my front and side yards. Prior to spreading seed, the landscaping company is going to grade off the backyard. I am getting excited to watch grass grow. Is that weird? Yeah, yeah, bite me. I know I'm weird already.

Multimedia message

2007-04-26T22:14:00.000-04:00

Goo Goo Dolls

Framing the situation

2007-04-25T08:07:00.000-04:00

The word on the truck is that they're replacing the FRAME. The frame was bent and so you heard me right, they're replacing the FRAME. They're lifting the entire truck up off the old one and putting it on the newER one. Apparently there was an F-150 in a wreck that damaged the rest of the truck so badly it was totalled but didn't bend the frame. How the hell does that happen?! That makes me REALLY suspicious.

I told the shop owner to give the frame a good twice over before even thinking about putting it in my truck. Also, I am having them call me when it comes in so I can go look at it too. It kinda pisses me off they wouldn't use a new frame since my truck is fairly new (2004). The claims adjuster says it is a common practice. Even if its common, I've never heard of it before. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose.

Wreck =/

2007-04-13T00:34:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have heard, some of you haven't. I was in a wreck today. My truck isn't driveable. I'm okay. I'm a bit sore (yes, a pain in the neck, ha ha) but otherwise alright. I'm quite sad about my truck though. I love that vehicle. Its the best one I've ever had.

I was turning left on a yellow light and I thought the other car was going to turn from the angle they were heading. They went straight,.. slammed on the brakes, and skid into me, head-on. If they hadn't slammed on the brakes we wouldn't have hit each other. They were going at least 50 MPH, perhaps 60+ since their skid marks were longer than 15 feet.

The driver of the car was slightly hurt, as the back of her head was lightly bleeding, the paramedics say because of her head slamming back into the headrest which has a metal bar in it. The passenger wasn't hurt. The police debated over who would be at fault since their skid marks were so long and from the look of things they would've missed me had they gone straight (I stopped quickly as I wasn't going that fast). But they finally decided upon me being at fault due to "not yielding the right of way" but they didn't give me a ticket, only a case number, and said the judge would decide.

Their car (an older model toyota) was totalled from the looks of it. My truck's front grille was broken, front fender pushed underneath, and pushed into the driver's side tire, and oddly enough,.. the tailgate hinge was broken due to the impact.

It really pisses me off I'll be held accountable when they were the ones speeding and had they not slammed on the brakes we wouldn't have crashed. I hate to think of what will happen to my insurance (not to mention my big deductible). Not only that but I wonder about that lady's head and if they'll cause trouble, milking it for all its worth. Yes, I am concerned for her safety, but they reacted in such a weird manner and very quickly left their car and went somewhere once the police were done with them, it makes me wonder if in this overly-letigious society if they're the sort of people that would be happy about crashing their old vehicle and the kind that would try to get more money than what they require for genuine medical recovery.

I guess I'm sore in several ways, huh? =/

Old Vehicles

2007-03-15T17:59:00.000-04:00

Isn't it funny how random things bring back memories long forgotten? I was driving down the road today and I saw an old Ford Bronco, much like the one my friend Elvis used to have. It made me think of all the vehicles he used to drive, the ones I used to drive, and the ones all my friends USED TO drive. I know Elvis has a newer vehicle now, I've ridden in it. I know what car he had before the Bronco (a little blue car we called the rice-burner). But seeing this today made me think of all the things that happened in the Bronco,.. particular jokes as we were riding in it, adventures we went on in it, etc.

Then I thought of my old car that I had during many of the same years Elvis had the Bronco,... my old Chevrolet Impala. We always called it "The Walrus" because according to the crayola crayon box, its color was "walrus brown." Mine wasn't a stationwagon like the one pictured here but that IS the color. Don't ask me how the hell I found a picture with the right color. LOL That car was the center of some very interesting times in my life. Many things happened in the Walrus from a cruise down Cherry Street to peeing in the middle of a highway.

But both of these memories brought back an unexpected reminiscence. DaGetAwayCa. That's right, you heard me right,... "DaGetAwayCa." This is a car Elvis and I saw driving though the town of Albany, Georgia, many many years ago. It was an old, beaten-up, bondo'd car with no visible paint job,.. mostly rusty brown,.. with a label painted in black spray paint down its side,... "DaGetAwayCa." I still wonder if the police ever connected them to a crime, if they really did committ a crime, and if someone who knew they had been bad decided it'd be funny to point them out. Ah, good times.

Grass & Weeds

2007-03-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

Like every stage of life we have both grass and weeds. Sometimes the weeds flourish so much they take over everything and begin to look beautiful. Sometimes the grass takes over and really creates a 'lawn'. As the proverb says, the grass is always greener on the other side. Well in this case, it isn't a lie. The grass really is greener on the other side because well,... my grass sucks.

I have so many weeds in my yard its crazy. I know the developer just put in the cheapest grass he could find and obviously that cheapass grass was full of weeds. Now the challenge is getting rid of all those weeds, trying to cultivate a healthy yard, and making it look like it ought to look - like grass instead of a hodgepodge of various green plantlife posing as grass.

Any tips? I've used disease control granules, fertilizer, weed killers of various sorts, and still have a mixed variety. I've been contemplating hiring one of those chemical lawn treatment companies, but I'd like some advice from those that have done so already. Anyone used these companies before? Any tips for dealing with them? Advice and/or commentary is appreciated!

Lions, Tigers, and Conferences, Oh My!

2007-02-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I attended a conference for the Georgia Communication Association. I also stayed for the business meetings and I, among others, submitted a bid to host the conference at my institution in the coming years.

It was a good conference, but it was only one of many things I did this last weekend. I got to visit with my friend Taylor, that I don't see that often. Taylor and I are friends from my undergraduate years at Georgia State University. Back then Taylor and I both drank quite a lot. See, I had several German roommates back then and Germans, well,... Germans like to drink,... a LOT. We sortof drank just to keep up with them and hang out with them. That was a good bunch of guys, but admittedly, I don't like drinking as much as I did back then. I like being more in control. It turns out that Taylor doesn't drink nearly as much as he did back then either. We had a good time. Thanks for hanging out with me, bud!

Also, I spent some time with my buddy Chang, who lives in Atlanta. We did everything from playing pool to beating the crap out of each other in a game called Magic: The Gathering (MTG). Chang and I usually have some lively games of Magic, as we're both pretty bright and pride ourselves on coming up with new combinations and ways to do things in the game. I spent the night at Chang's one night before I headed back up. Thanks for the good times, pal!

Most everything went well this weekend. All in all, it was fantastic. One thing that didn't go well for me though was reeking of smoke due to the pool hall. I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke in my clothes. I guess it reminds me a lot of mom's house and how I hate that she smoked even when she had cancer. But really, its not even that that makes me hate the smell. It just,.... stinks! Nasty stink!!! I went and bought a new pair of jeans because I only had one pair on me and I couldn't stand the smell anymore. Eh, I needed a new pair anyway, and these were on sale too. Yay! I actually don't mind shopping, but sometimes it is frustrating to find a pair that fits me well. My body is shaped weird, so I have to try jeans on. This is the first time I've bought a pair of Chaps jeans. I didn't even know they made them. They fit pretty well. :) I guess I'll tackle buying a few new shirts another day. That's a whole different story.

Frantic February

2007-02-12T21:17:00.000-05:00

Its mid-February and I'm going ninety miles a minute. At least staying busy is keeping me out of trouble, but right now I feel like I'm barely hanging on with all the work I've taken on.

I recently moved offices, I'm on a few task forces & committees at work, I dedicated some time to write more on my future research project, I've been researching stuff for work, and I've been researching graduate school again. Yeah, I considered going on for the doctoral degree, but I still haven't made up my mind yet about that. I'm also considering a side-job to make some more money. So right now it is somewhat a toss-up as to what extra activity I'll be involved in, whether its a new job or new schooling.

I do feel somewhat stretched financially right now, as you've read in past posts, so I really want to do something about that. The thing is though,... I have a BRILLIANT idea to make money using my current education and specialty. The only problem is, I don't know how to start it, and I wish I did. I KNOW it'd make some excellent cash. I do mean EXCELLENT. But getting started is the major battle. I think I need to just stop freaking out and sit down and construct a business plan. Maybe that will help.

Even though I feel stretched and a bit frenzied momentarily, don't get me wrong. I am happy right now overall. There's always room for improvement, but currently I am in a good place so-to-speak. I've dealt with more stress than this when I worked in engineering, that's for sure. Thanks to some "fantastic" friends I'm coping quite nicely with all my new duties. It does make one wonder though, why do I volunteer to do so much?!? LOL Maybe I should volunteer less where I don't get paid much and put that energy into my side projects that have the possibility of paying me a lot. Hmmmm.... something to ponder.

Hope everything is well with you all. Thanks for staying tuned! :)

New Year

2007-01-11T01:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm officially over the Christmas Blues. Yay! Thank God that's over, eh? ;) So, what's going on with me lately? Here are a few things:

I recently applied for a promotion at work and it was between myself and one other person. The other person got the promotion. Even though the other person has been there a lot longer and had a higher degree than I do, I feel I've done more for the specific group this promotion was to deal with and think I'd be better in that particular position. I also think if I'd gotten the promotion the other person would've left to go work elsewhere. I can't say as I blame the boss, as I very well might do what he did, figuring on this way as a way to keep both employees - for now. Overall, I'm okay with it, although it does make me consider my perceived worth at this institution. As it stands, my salary is extremely low. I understand we've been under some serious budget cuts in the past several years, and I understand higher education pays "a dime a dozen" instructors crap for pay. I also LOVE my job of teaching, but it does irk me knowing many jobs for uneducated workers earn MUCH more pay than I get for a job that requires a Master's degree.

Also, as a late Christmas present, I ordered a Roomba - you know, those robotic vaccuums? Roomba is awesome so far! I've only had it 2 days now but wow, he sure picks up a lot of stuff from the carpet.

The semester has started and so far it seems like I have a decent batch of students. I hope all goes well with them and I hope they make excellent grades by giving me good, quality work. :)

The weather outside is really turning colder and I've been slowly working on raking up the remains of what was a forest in my backyard. The decaying leaves and roots are about 4-5 inches thick and it takes a lot of energy just to rake up a little bit into a pile. I have a feeling the backyard MIGHT get done by springtime. =/ Maybe I'll hire a few day laborers to come rake when it gets closer to spring. I want to plant grass so one day it will look like a nice green yard instead of a brown disaster area.

In gaming news, I've been raiding a lot again. My main character is now able to go to a place called "Naxxramas" which is a higher and more difficult area than we've ever attempted before. Tonight we tried a boss we've never killed before and got it down to 41% as our best try. I'm confident we'll get him dead soon, as I believe we've figured out the strategy to defeat him already.

On a personal note, I really want to lose some weight. I am uncomfortable with myself again. I tend to go in cycles that are several years long. I build up slowly to a weight that makes me uncomfortable, then I lose weight over a year or two, then the cycle repeats. Here's looking ahead to a slimming new year. This isn't a resolution, as I don't formally make those, but it is a hope. ;)

I also wish YOU all the best in this new year. Thanks for sticking with me. :D

Okay then...

2006-12-26T01:55:00.000-05:00

Since people have been telling I'm a slacker and not writing a lot,... I'll post. ;) The only thing is though, I haven't been writing a lot because, well,.. there hasn't been a whole lot good to write about. One great thing's been happening but it is somewhat unrelated to what else has been happening. So here goes,.... (since you asked for it and all).

Christmas this year SUCKED. Yes, I put up outside lights and a tree and all that was great. Those things made me happy. But I don't know what's going on this Christmas,... it seems like I've just been in a funky mood and depression. I thought a lot about mom today and that made it really rough. I know last year we didn't have her, but this year, I gave presents to people, I put up a tree, and I wasn't proccupied with moving into a new house. So I had time to think,.... about her. It rained a lot this week, drizzling all Christmas Day. That sucked. It just felt gloomy.

My wife didn't get me anything for Christmas. I know we talked beforehand and said we wouldn't, but hell, when does she EVER listen to me anyway? I seriously thought she'd get me at least something small. I played Santa and were it not for the 2 DvDs I put in my own stocking I'd have not been able to unwrap anything on Christmas Day. It seems like I had to argue about everything with her today. Stupid petty stuff too,... like the dishwasher.

My job is to fill it and clean the kithen. Her job is to empty it so I can fill it. Dishes have been piling up all week and I've been asking her to empty it ---- so that I wouldn't have to do a lot of work on Christmas day when it came time to cook and use dishes. She emptied it after much nagging on Christmas Day. I know I could've done it days earlier, but that's not the point. We had a deal and she promised me she'd do it. Sure, she had to work a couple of days this week but I did clean the house, grocery shopped, did 5 loads of clothes, went Christmas shopping in the CROWDS for relatives, I went to work a little bit too, and I cooked her really nice meals each night, including steak (which she loves and I tolerate). After cleaning the kitchen after all that mess today, I didn't feel like cooking, so no Christmas Day supper for me. That sortof ruined it too. I bought all kinds of yummy stuff to make too.

Add to all this the fact that I was down and blue about mom, and it made things worse,.. like Mom wouldn't have let all these mini-disasters happen, or if they did, she would've plowed through them and still pulled off a fantastic Christmas. She was amazing at that. She really was a Superwoman. I guess I sortof felt like she would've disapproved of the way today turned out. Yet I know even after all that she would've said to me with caring and love, "Awww, honey, it'll be alright." and she'd give me the biggest warmest hug this planet had ever seen.

Yep, Christmas Sucked.
So there,... I posted something new. =P
I do hope your Christmas was better than mine....

Sorry it was a sad one, and sorry for the self-pity. Maybe next time I'll post a happy one to counterbalance it. I sure hope so. Hang with me. I know everything will be alright. ;) Here's looking forward to a NEW year!

Its the weekend!

2006-11-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

The weekend is here!
I bet you're wondering what I do on the weekends, eh?
Okay, probably not. But since this is my blog, I'm going to tell you anyway.

I game. I relax. I work.

I game.
I often play a game called WoW. WoW stands for World of Warcraft. I play this 3D game with a bunch of friends, most of whom I've never met in person. Yes, I've met some of them in person - some before I played the game, some I met after I already knew them in-game. About 60 of us all get together in the game and do things almost nightly. What's better than spending time with friends, right? :)

So what do we DO? We group up together and go accomplish in-game goals. We chat both through text and through a voice-chat program. We joke around. We exchange recipes. We talk about sports and news and love and life and sex and kids and just about anything you'd talk about with your best friends. We wish each other happy birthday. We congratulate each other on special events like getting jobs and having babies. We post pictures of ourselves and our loved ones so we know what each other looks like.

Some people ask me, isn't it just a bunch of teenage boys that play? NO! In fact, the average target audiences for these type of games are:
#1 White Males ages 25-45
#2 White Females ages 25-45
#3 White Males ages 15-24

From there the numbers convolute a bit between several different groups depending on which study you look at. Most of the people I converse with are in my "guild." A guild is simply an in-game mechanism where you evaluate players and then if you like them you join them into your group. Guilds have their own chat channel and often guilds complete in-game objectives only with their guildmates as opposed to people not in the guild. I've been in guilds that have 500 members. The one I'm in now has on average about 20 - 50 people online at any given time of the day or night. Remember, people all over the world play this game and therefore are in different time zones. If I had to guess at the AVERAGE age of the guild, I'd say it is somewhere in the range of 35-39.

I relax.
Yeah, its the weekend and I deserve to relax some. I watch some television on rare occasion. I sit outside and look at the trees. I play my game to relax. I play with my dog (He's an AWEsome dog!!). I play cards with friends. Every now and then I'll go out of town for a day-trip, or eat at a restaurant, or I'll watch a movie. I love movies - both on the big screen and on DVD. On rare occasion I might even drink a few beers with my neighbor.

I work.
Sometimes on weekends I do work like mowing the grass or planting a bush or some flowers. Often I do work from, yes,... sad to say,... work. I can't help it. Its a necessity pretty often. But I don't let it get me down that I have to work on weekends unless it isn't my own fault I'm doing it. If students cause me extra work because they were dumb or they procrastinated then it pisses me off. But if I do work because I assigned something then I'm okay with it. Either way I temper my work with a lot of the above relaxation and gaming and everything seems to turn out alright. :)

Halloween Tricks

2006-10-28T13:59:00.000-04:00

For a long time people have been inviting me to Halloween parties. For most parties people always seem to want all their guests to dress-up. I hardly ever go unless I'm sorta 'forced' to by loved ones.

Let me be clear on something. I don't really like dressing up in a costume. I think its stupid and silly to do it as adults. I know the point is to be silly. That doesn't change the fact that I don't like it.

Why the hell doesn't someone throw a Halloween party that just has a theme and lots of fun stuff to do without making all their guests dress-up?!? I'd throw one myself like that but I'm not really the type that throws a lot of parties. There could be all kinds of cool stuff there with no pressure to dress in costumes. I'm jealous of my friend and coworker Geekalicious. She got invited to one like that. The guys play pool, the women play cards and gossip, they have hayrides and apple-bobbing, and all kinds of stuff like that. But that seems to be a rare occasion in the Halloween party-throwing population.

Want me to dress up and come to your fucking party? Fine. Just expect me to bite someone hard with my fake vampire teeth until it hurts. That way maybe I can take out some of this anger and frustration. Maybe I'll spike your damn punch too. Hmm... I need to go to the liquor store. Yeah, that's it... before this post I didn't know what I was going as. Now I know. I'm going to go as a trouble-making vampire. Here I come with my Halloween Tricks. Get ready. If I've got to wear a fucking costume I'm going to get revenge.

So anyway...

2006-10-17T10:35:00.000-04:00

I wound up not getting the green comforter set after all. I got a red one.

Last year my dad and mom gave me money to buy a new bed. I'd just bought a house and I used the money for other stuff,... like part of the closing costs etc. Understandable, right? Right. Friday my cousin Kristina got married. This meant that Thursday, my dad, mom, and grandma (Dot Dot) came up from central Florida to spend the night prior to going over Friday for the wedding. I had a queen bed in the Master bedroom and a full bed in one of the guest bedrooms. See the problem?

So last week I ordered a new bed. $1200 of goodness, which my back is still getting accustomed to, but that's a different story. It arrived Thursday. Yes, the same day as my company arrived. I moved the existing queen into the third room and the new queen off my truck into my room by myself, trying to rush and set them up, make the beds, and have everything ready for their arrival. I heard them pulling in as I was putting the sheets on the last bed.

I'm not sure if my back hurt more from moving the beds alone (that new queen is pretty dang heavy - its one with a box-top so its 15" thick) or if my back hurt from adjusting to the new bed. The new one is quite different than the old one.

In either case, at least now I have plenty of bed-space for guests. Want to come visit? :)

Multimedia message

2006-10-11T12:13:00.000-04:00

Phone mix-up

2006-10-11T09:35:00.000-04:00

I hate incompetence.

My phone had some problems the last few days. I couldn't send text messages. It told me I had voice mail when I did not. I took it to Cingular and explained the situation. They tried several things and wound up putting in a new "cim card" (sp?). After 45 minutes of my time, supposedly that fixed the problem. To be safe I asked the lady to send me a text message and I'd reply with one to be certain it was working. She sent one from her phone to mine and since she had my phone in her hand she replied to her own phone with mine. She said, "Its working fine now. And nothing is different than before."

Except my phone number, you stupid bitch.

How the hell could she not notice that my phone number was different when SHE had to type it in to send me a text message?!? How could she fail to mention my number had changed?!? The answer? Incompetence! Good God, woman, go rent a fucking brain cell.

Last night I received many phone calls for some other person. Apparently the idiot had put in a cim card that was already registered to someone else and didn't notice. Additionally, I probably missed several important phone calls I was expecting last night. I should have called Japan for a few hours and told all his friends that called in the middle of the night to fuck off, but I didn't.

Today I went in to Cingular again and the lady there knew what she was doing - unlike the moronic twit from last night. So now I'm back up and running - hopefully. Yay. I do think I lost some messages though, so if you called and left one last night and I didn't respond, now you know why.

Not Dead

2006-09-08T00:25:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm not! Nor am I in a coma... just incredibly busy. Grading papers. Sound like fun? Ugh. Be back when I can breathe.

Busy Bee

2006-08-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

Holy crap I've been busy these past few weeks. And right now (as Roger Watkins used to say) "there are no signs this blistering pace will let up."

I've definitely been a busy little bee though, seriously. The new semester started last week and for several weeks prior to that I was going nonstop many hours a day, even on weekends, trying to get a new class ready.

Man, designing a new course takes a TON of work - especially when the course is to be 65% online!!! I worked on creating this class all summer but it wasn't until about 3 weeks before school started back that I realized the magnanimosity of this project for which I'd *gulp* volunteered. I'm still nowhere near done. I have yet to create PowerPoint presentations with voice accompaniment, which I plan to do for about eight chapters worth of material. I have yet to write chapter guides for 12 chapters. I have yet to write 5 class assignments out.

But at least I got a ton of course documents created, all the articles scanned and uploaded, and the course website made with blank spaces for the missing parts. I have a plan. And having a fully drawn-out plan when creating a class is a great deal of work. :)

For those of you I've neglected this past month, you have my sincerest apologies. I've been busy with work and haven't called or written many of you. Sadly, don't expect me to be a better friend for another month. =/ (lol) I've still got a ton of work ahead of me. Just know that I'm dealing with it though and only stressing out a little bit as opposed to how I used to deal with work. No wonder I had a minor heart attack at the age of 25. I used to stress out WAY too much about work. Now, I take my time even though I rush a little bit, and I afford myself breaks throughout the day when I know my brain hurts or I can feel my blood pressure rising.

You forgive me though, don't you? Great! I knew you'd understand. ;)

Garden Surprise

2006-08-02T10:49:00.000-04:00

As you know, I play World of Warcraft. One of the races you can choose in this game is a gnome. Create a gnome, get a portal to Darnassus (the Night Elf land, lush with vegetation), hide in a garden, and voila, fun times! Be sure to click on the picture and read the text at the bottom. :D

In case you can't quite make out the text, it reads;
Frankel (the gnome): Boo!
Frankel (the gnome): Did a gnome hiding in the garden scare you?
Frankel (the gnome): Boo!
Cyrida (a nearby night elf): Yes, I think I peed a little.

Is that great stuff or what?!? :)

Can you tell I'm having a constructive day?

Photos of Japan!

2006-07-14T01:04:00.000-04:00

Here it is! An album of some of my photos of Japan! I hope you enjoy the photos. I sure had a blast over there. :) I took over 100 shots, but just selected some of my favorites to put up on the net. Click HERE to take a look!

The 3 places with long names were temples we saw in Kyoto. Beautiful!

Sanjusangendo - I couldn't take a picture inside but this is the place with 1001 Buddha statues. Incredible!

Kiyomizudera - Awesome temple with a big Buddha, protector statues to ward off evil spirits, and a bell to ring in reverence of the dead. I lit a candle for mom.

Ginkakuji - Amazing nature and some incredible architecture! Also, this place has some "VIP moss" as they call it, that holds a lot of the soil together and provides nutrients. This place also had an amazing view since it was up high. You can see Kyoto Tower in the distance from the upper path.

The inside restaurant shot includes our friend Mie and her boyfriend Yashka in a place we ate at in Osaka. The neon sign place was one of the streets I took a photo of outside the Osaka restaurant. Too bad I think I deleted the night-time shot of a better one. Oh well.

The Udon shop is in the train station where Mamotaro's statue is located. See the write-up on Mamotaro in my previous post for an explanation.

The man and woman outside the family style restaurant in front of the bonsai tree are Nattsu's parents. They're awesome!

Oh, and the shot of the mountains out the plane window is over Alaska near Mt. McKinley.

All in all, I had an awesome time! From eating raw sea snail and vinegar cooked octopus, to realizing how enormous their major cities are, I was blown away. I hope to go back. :)

I'm BACK!

2006-07-12T00:45:00.000-04:00

I made it safely back from Japan, alive and well. I'll post details and pictures soon. Stay tuned!

Arrival in JAPAN !!!

2006-07-02T15:38:00.000-04:00

The line in Atlanta to check in and to check baggage was horrible! We spent an hour and a half just in line to check baggage! We made it in time for the plane though, just barely.

The flight to Chicago went well. The layover wasn't that bad (3.5 hours). The flight from Chicago to Osaka, Japan was a bizarre experience to say the least. 14 Hours on a plane, 3 meals, and many stretches, a few chapters, 2 movies, and a few new friends later, we arrived.
It took an hour limo bus ride to get from the airport (that's built on a manmade island composed of trash) to the hotel. A shower and a late supper of $45 noodles later, and I crashed for the night. Now it is 4:30 am, and I'm wide awake. I'm to get up and get to the train station by 9 am to meet my friend to join me on a ride to and a tour of Kyoto, the old capitol of Japan. I'm looking forward to it.

I paid $300 a night for my two night stay in the hotel here but I have a nice room on the 22nd floor, where when I look out the window, I see city lights and buildings as far as I can see. If you're familiar with Atlanta's downtown, imagine that as far as you can see, travelling on a highway at 50mph for an hour, on both sides of the raised highway. I've been through Manhattan when I was younger, and even that doesn't compare to the size of this city.

As for the look of it all, of course I can't read any of the signs, but they sure look spectacular all lit up at night. The view is absolutely stunning. I'll update again if I have more internet access. I may not until I get back, but I'll just have to cross my fingers and see.

Until my return, regards from JAPAN !!!:)

VACATION !!!!

2006-06-29T11:26:00.000-04:00

For those of you that don't know yet, Nattsu and I are going to JAPAN! This will be my first time out of the States and I'm both anxious and excited to go. I'm a bit nervous going on a 14 hour flight to a country where most of the people won't understand me and I sure as heck won't understand them! But I am looking forward to it nonetheless.

We're first taking a 3 1/2 hour flight to Chicago then a short layover and then the 14 hour flight to Osaka, Japan. Osaka is where our friend Mie lives and she took off work a day to hang out with us and show us around. Wasn't that sweet of her? :) Thanks Mie! We're also going to go sightseeing a day or two in Kyoto, the old capitol of Japan. I hear there're tons of cool things to see there. Shrines, castles, zen gardens, etc. I think its going to be fun!

Once we're done sightseeing there, we're going to take the train out of the Kansai region where Osaka and Kyoto are and head over (yes, on the bullet train! Choo! Choo!) toward Nattsu's parents' house which is on Shikoku island. Curious to know where these places are? Just check out this map!

On the way we'll make a train stop to see the Peach Boy monument. Yes, I just said Peach Boy. I'm not sure if its because Georgia is the Peach State or if its because I'm silly and like kids' stories from around the world and hearing how they're different than the ones I heard as a kid, but I like Peach Boy. Getting to see his monument is kinda cool and I'm excited about that as well. If you'd like to read all about Peach Boy, you can find his story here. Note that his name is Momotaro in the story. There's a great song that goes in the story too, but I couldn't find a sound clip of it.

Wish us safe travels! :) I'll post to let you know we made it back safely when we return.

Ok, so I'm a slacker...

2006-06-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

I should've posted this up a few weeks ago, sorry! Anyway, a few weekends ago I went down to the Georgia Rennaisance Festival. I met a ton of friends there from all around the state and we had a blast! Here is a pic of our wandering group. :)

HELL YEAH!

2006-06-14T11:27:00.000-04:00

This is an absolute MUST VISIT !!!

Do you have a 710?

2006-06-07T20:53:00.000-04:00

Are you missing a 710?

Yesterday I was having some work done at the car dealer.
A blonde woman came in and asked for a seven-hundred-ten.
They all looked at each other, and the Mechanic asked,
"What is a seven-hundred-ten?"

She replied, "You know, the little piece in the middle of the engine. I lost it and need a new one. It had always been there."

The mechanic gave the woman a piece of paper and a pen and asked her to draw what the piece looked like.

She drew a circle and in the middle of it wrote 710.
He then took her over to another car which had the hood up
and asked, "Is there a 710 on this car?"
She pointed and said, "Of course, it's right there."

Click here to learn the identity of the mysterious 710:
http://www.mademelaugh.com/gfx/710.jpg

Money, Native Americans, Nature, & My Brother

2006-06-03T22:28:00.000-04:00

So, I need to catch you up-to-date but I'm tired as it is late at night.

Here goes:

I took a trip to Cherokee North Carolina for Memorial weekend.
I lost $300 in Harrah's Casino
I bought jewelry made by the Navajo Indians, and yes, I was in Cherokee, North Carolina, not Navajo, North Carolina. I got a cool ring!
I drove up to the Smoky Mountain National Park and hiked up to Clingman's Dome.

My brother Ken and his wife Sherry came to visit me on my 35th birthday! We had fun. We grilled Fillet Mignon with a mushroom rub wrapped in bacon, grilled corn-on-the-cob, had some garlic mashed potatos, side salad, and fresh green beans. We played Outbreak and watched Chronicles of Riddick. They saw my new house and they said they really liked it. I'm extremely glad about that. :)

So now you're all caught up. Tomorrow I go to the Georgia Rennaissance Festival where several friends are meeting. I'm excited!

My Only Friend, The End

2006-05-15T13:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, so it isn't my ONLY friend,... but it is one of them. What? Who? The end of the semester, duh! Yay! I get to see another batch of young adults take off into the sunset, communication skills enhanced, some more than others. This makes me happy. I see people improve.

People often ask me though, "How do you tolerate it? Why do you still teach, given how snotty kids can be, how bitchy and whiny and irresponsible they are sometimes? Why in the world do you do it, especially at your salary?!? Why put up with all the shit for the low pay?!?" Here's my answer: A year from now ONE of these people MIGHT come back and tell me some story of how the skills they learned in this class helped them in life. It may not sound like much, but that one person's story can make this job worthwhile.

Of course, I'm sure I'd be just as happy in a corporate communication job, especially if the pay was good. :) But those opportunities come along very seldomly. When I was searching for a job prior to accepting this one, I had several interviews for corporate positions as well as those in academia. I applied about 50% to the corporate world, and 50% to academia, so I interviewed at everywhere from Clemson University to up to the 4th interview with Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Illinois (in Chicago).

Sidebar here about that BCBS of Illinois position... I think I was shafted on that one. I went for four interviews. I was even shown where my office would be (20-something floor looking out over Lake Michigan). Everyone IU had interviewed with told me I was perfect for the job. At the last interview, I gave a PowerPoint presentation and speech, highlighting the functions of workplace communication groups. I could tell they liked it. Four people even winked at me or nodded at me with a subtle 'thumbs-up' gesture. The whole communication group is made up of Barbie-Doll-esque women, and one male. The one male is the head of the group. At BCBS, the group even has the nickname of the "Barbie-Doll Team" and it is common knowledge that the guy hires only Barbie-Doll-esque women.

From all their positive feedback I was sure I'd get the job. A few days later I got a call turning me down. I found out who he hired,... you guessed it,.. another Barbie Doll-esque woman. Through an inside source I found out she was not even as qualified as I am for the job. I seriously considered sueing the living fuck out of them. I know I'd have a case. I didn't though. I hate how litigious our society has become and I despise wrongful hiring practices. I've actually been TOLD by an employeer before that I was the best choice for the job but due to equality distributions he needed to hire a woman or a minority. Damnit, I don't care what kind of quotas we need to meet in this world to "show" our equality. Hire the person that is best for the job! I don't give a shit if they're male, female, black, white, or purple. I say get rid of all this anti-discrimination bullshit. Let people hire whoever they want to,.. and if they choose less-qualified people for the job, based solely on their gender or color, then fine! Let them FAIL in business because they were too damned shallow to hire the best person for the position!!!!

Oh yes, so anyway,.. about all those interviews,...
There was one company I applied to that I never heard back from. Leica instruments. They are a swiss company and make instruments for civil engineering. I used to do Civil Engineering Drafting & Design for about 12 years total. Now I have a Master's in Communication. They needed someone to do PR communications for them. Ummm.... HELLO!?!?!? Why the heck did they never contact me?!? I'd have been PERFECT for that job! *sigh* That one I still wonder about.

So, where does all this leave me? I am out for the semester. I teach during the month of June, 5 days a week. I am in an annual contract position at a local University west of Atlanta. I wish I had more stability than being on a yearly contract. Why is it that they have to do that? Government budgetting? Inability to committ to hiring someone permanently? Why can't they hire people on a yearly basis for the first 2 years then change them over to be a 'lecturer' position in which they have job security? Even worse is,.. there is an unwritten rule at this University, that they don't keep anyone more than 7 years. Why is that? I think there are a lot of things in academia that are screwed-up. And sometimes, yes, I question what the hell I'm doing here. But every now and then I get that one student with the story of life change and it makes it all worthwhile.

(But corporate America, keep an eye on me! If you need someone with my skills,... you know where to turn!)

Musical Questions

2006-05-03T13:26:00.000-04:00

I stole this from a friend's site,.. but she won't care. And if she does, she's naughty and deserves to be spanked.

The rules: Put your music player on shuffle. Press forward for each question. Use the song title as the answer to the question. Post this on your blog.
Leave a comment here when you post it on your site. Simple enough? Right? Right.

~Will I get far in life?
Blindfolded - Carelessness Kills

~How do my friends see me?
Daknit, Bard of Justice - Doesn't take a Telepath (to figure out what you were thinking)

~Where will I get married?
Poe - Hello

~What is my best friend’s theme song?
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench

~What is the story of my life?
Type O Negative - The Glorious Liberation of the People

~What was high school like?
Los Enanitos Verdes - Amigos

~How can I get ahead in life?
Collective Soul - The World I Know

~What is the best thing about me?
Dave Brubeck - There'll Be Some Changes Made

~How is today going to be?
Metallica - The Struggle Within

~What is in store for this weekend?
White Zombie - Blood, Milk, And Sky

~What song describes my parents?
Sound Clip from Cool Hand Luke - "What we've got here is,... failure to communicate."

~My grandparents?
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Please Baby

~How is my life going?
Elton John - Candle In The Wind

~What song will they play at my funeral?
Metallica - Until It Sleeps (LOL !!!)

~How does the world see me?
Days Of The New - Downtown (I knew I wasn't Uptown!)

~Will I have a happy life?
George Carlin - Capital Punishment (OMFG!!! LOL)

~What do my friends really think of me?
Braveheart - Amazing Grace

~Do people secretly lust after me?
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen

~How can I make myself happy?
Metallica - Leper Messiah (ewww)

~What should I do with my life?
George Carlin - Minority Language

~Will I ever have children?
Jethro Tull - Part of the Machine

~What is some good advice?
8Stops7 - Satisfied

~What is my signature dancing song?
Type O Negative - My Girlfriend's Girlfriend

~What do I think my current theme song is?
Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator (Mmmm...)

~What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Blindfolded - Wonderful

~What type of men/women do you like?
Sound Clip of Beavis saying "Insane in the Membrane" but then
Kool & The Gang - Cherish

Boycott This!

2006-05-01T15:24:00.000-04:00

Any business that I see closed today in response to the immigrant boycott, I will boycott for the period of one year. This already includes one of my favorite restaurants which I ate at last night and they told me that today theyd be closed.Illegal immigrants are criminals. They circumvent a procedure that is already in place. They cut ahead of law abiding applicants in line.

They get no support from me.

If they love this country so much, if they want to be here so badly, they should respect our laws and the people who are waiting patiently to enter this country legally. There are a lot of people in the legal line waiting to get in. They should be first. Thats why there is a green card lottery and a whole set of immigration legislation! If you break the law, you should be put in jail and then deported.

I have no problem with immigrants. Some of my best friends are immigrants. America was founded with immigration. My wife is an immigrant, a LEGAL one before I even met her. I have a problem with ILLEGAL immigrants. Legal immigrants go through the proper channels to be here, illegal immigrants do NOT and THAT is the difference.

As such, I am boycotting all closed businesses for one year. I also plan on eating out for every meal today and am purchasing some items today. So, illegal immigrants aren't showing up for work? They wont profit from todays sales? Good. They can suffer for their crime.

A world without illegal immigrants is fine. They'll see the only difference they make is a negative one. If they want to make a real difference, then they can go back to their countries of birth. Let America's economy adjust and prosper without them and let the Federal Government allow in people that are willing to go through the proper channels to GET to the land of the free, NOT those who get here on a free ride. They should APPLY to come and work and live here. THEN they will have my full respect and support.

And for those who say that this isn't about illegal immigrants but immigrants in general. I call bullshit. Did you even read my distinction above? Besides, a march, a protest, a boycott was never even thought of until Congress discussed introducing a bill to make illegal immigrants a felony charge. They should make it a felony. These people should not be rewarded for illegally getting here!

Thanks to ODB for the idea of posting on this. ;)
Peace, my friends.

2006-04-17T22:42:00.000-04:00

Here is a pic of the trees in my backyard. I want to cut down all the ones with blue tape around them.

Trivia, Old Friends, and Trees

2006-04-17T22:31:00.000-04:00

This weekend I nearly killed myself trying to cut down some trees in my backyard. Thank goodness my brother called and told me he'd be able to come up in a few weeks to help me with the rest. I don't think I can do the rest by myself. I'll send a pic of the trees to here soon.

Tonight I went to eat at a place called Johnny's Pizza and Subs. It was a good place and it was trivia night. I came in 3rd place. =/ Damnit, I WAS in 1st place until I missed the last question. The sad part is I saw the 1st place winner guy using his cellphone to get the answer. That chubby fucking bastard! 1st place won a $25 gift certificate to the restaurant, so it wasn't some life-changing contest, but still. That's not right,... the fucker. Looking at the size of his belly he needs free food like a fucking hole in the head. At least the dick had kids, so I hope some of the food goes to them. Probably not though, the grubby dicklicker will probably eat it all for himself. Those poor damn kids are going to starve. Come to think of it, the kids did look pretty skinny. =/ Fat bastage!

This trivia event reminded me (in a good way) of Elvis though. (See, the whole thing was overall a great and fun time.) Elvis is particularly good at trivia. He kicks major trivia game ass. I like playing with him. We each have our own areas of expertise, but we're both pretty damn good at it. The last time he and I played trivia together was in a restaurant in Albany. I'm pretty sure that night we came in first place and won some sort of gift certificate then too.

What a Break...

2006-03-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

Spring Break just came and went. What did I do? Eh, a few things...

planted flowers & bushes around new house (they died due to the freeze LOL)
played MTG with friends
played some WoW
I drove down to Smallbany, GA to visit friends

I know that Albany is not a small town - It is usually the 4th or 5th largest city in GA. I call it small due to the unfortunate situation many of its residents are in - a state of small-mindedness. I love my friends that are there - they are exceptions to the rule, but a great deal of the people there make me want to vomit. The words, "pretentious, racist, snobbish, judgemental, fanatically religious, and superficial" come to mind.

Mind you, as I said, the friends I made in Albany are my friends because they weren't those things. It is okay to be religious, but anyone who tells me I'm going to hell for the way I believe is judging me and they can go fuck themselves. Furthermore, the pretentious, superficial, 'I'm better than you because I drive/wear/went to/etc' people,.. well,... those people are a lifeform somewhat below the level of moldy cheese and they reminded me of why I don't like to visit SMALLbany. However, there are still reasons I'll probably visit again;

5. I played poker with friends, just hung out with friends,

6. I played some PnP RPG (Marvel) with good friends, and

7. I got to visit the most wonderful family I know, the Parrs.

The Parrs are family to me. I literally call them Mom, Brother, and Sister. Its because through my good fortune I made friends with one hell of a guy I call Elvis, some 16 years ago. He's a wacky type, so you can imagine we get along pretty well. :) I'm glad for that. His mom is terrific, and I consider her to be my mom of sorts too. Heck, she's raised me quite a lot since I met her. His sister is a riot too. She's a bit odd, but aren't all sisters? hehe ;) She has 5 children I really adore. Also living with them is his Aunt. She's a fruitbasket but I love her dearly as well - hehe! I got to spend hours with them just playing and talking. It was because of numbers 5, 6, and 7, that I will brave number 4 again. They make the trip totally worthwhile.

{EDIT}: Mitch, you dipshit, you're included in #5! Yes folks, I hung out with the amazing Mitch Belcher!!! :) Hehe. - Better?!? :P You Dork. LOL, Don't worry Mitch, I still luv ya!

2006-03-23T17:18:00.000-05:00

Subdivision Entrance

2006-03-23T17:17:00.002-05:00

2nd Bedroom

2006-03-23T17:17:00.001-05:00

Backyard

2006-03-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

Dining room from Sunroom

2006-03-23T17:16:00.002-05:00

Front door

2006-03-23T17:16:00.001-05:00

Front Elevation of "Home"

2006-03-23T17:16:00.000-05:00

Kitchen from Dining Room

2006-03-23T17:15:00.002-05:00

Dining Room from Kitchen

2006-03-23T17:15:00.001-05:00

Living Room from Sunroom

2006-03-23T17:15:00.000-05:00

Living Room from Front Door

2006-03-23T17:14:00.001-05:00

Master Bedroom

2006-03-23T17:14:00.000-05:00

My desk

2006-03-23T17:13:00.000-05:00

Sunroom View

Hazy Daze

2006-03-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

Wow, its spring break already!
And amazingly the time left in it is flying by,... quickly coming to a close.

What have I done you ask? Where have I gone?

I went to Home Dept and Truevalue and Lowe's.
I planted flowers and bought a chainsaw to cut down some trees.
Exciting, huh? Well, it isn't the most exhillarating spring break ever, but hey, when you own a home, isn't this what you're supposed to do?

I also got the taxes done. I thought I'd be in good shape after buying a home. Big fucking surprise that a corporation screwed things up. I owe the state government $700!!! >.< I am NOT happy about it.

The only thing I AM happy about right now is that some friends are driving over from Atlanta today so we can play some Magic: The Gathering (card game). :) Wheee!

I'll take some pics of the flowers when I'm done and post them. =P

Unisex: Violation of Expectations ?!?

2006-03-08T14:30:00.000-05:00

Ooh, ooh,.. I forgot to post about this last week. So here it is now.

The Setup
For quite some time I've entertained conversations with a few coworkers about the labeling of what used to be the Men's Faculty Bathroom. Now it is the "Unisex / Handicap" bathroom. We often joke about the fact that very often people will go in to use it and not lock the door. At the same time we wonder if it is strange that people go in and lock the door, since it is afterall "Unisex". We always joke that one day we'll use the urinal and not lock the door and see if people still come in or if they immediately leave. To understand where this is going you need to know what the bathroom looks like.

The Bathroom Layout
There is an exterior locking door. Inside, there is a sink, a urinal (with small walls on either side), and one stall with a locking door.

The Event
One day last week I had to pee really badly. I left my office and went around the corner to the Unisex bathroom because it is closest to my office. (There's a men's room on another hall not 50 more feet away though). I opened the bathroom door to find a young woman styling her hair at the sink. Seeing as I had to pee really really badly,.. I politely said, "Oh, hello,... excuse me." and I walked right past her and started using the urinal. She left in quite a hurry thereafter. Once the door closed behind her I chuckled slightly as the wave of relief washed over me.

The comedy of it all - and the Questions this poses
There's a separator wall between the sink and the urinal. Should she have not felt uncomfortable seeing as it was a Unisex bathroom? Should she not have hurried out but instead finished styling her hair? I think if I walked in and some woman was using the stall, I'd still use the urinal. I mean, really,.. who gives a damn. We're adults.

I know a lot of students probably have not had a public bathroom experience, but I have (and no, I wasn't even in Europe). I know me continuing violated her expectations. As for myself, I think its rather comical. That'll teach her to use the Unisex bathroom! I can hardly wait until these young adults go out into the corporate world and have to use a bathroom where there are 40 stalls side-by-side and people actually *gasp* talk to each other while defecating.

Janet and Chris at my WebCT Vista training session

2006-03-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

We're switching over to WebCT Vista at work. I like using WebCT for my courses, and this looks like it has some nice features even though I'm sure I'll spend a few more days figuring out how to make it do what I want it to do. Chris is a nice and very helpful guy. Janet is awesome. She's helped me a lot with WebCT and other distance learning issues. Snapping their picture with my camera phone is somewhat revenge. They're always taking pictures of us (faculty) at their functions and I figured it was time for some payback. ;)

Rock-N-Roll never dies - It just changes venues!

2006-02-21T14:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was driving to work and I was flipping through the radio stations. I stopped because I came across some Huey Lewis and the News. They were playing "Heart and Soul" - a great song with a hard driving guitar lick. "Dum Dum Du Dum Dum Dumm Dumm Dummmmmm - She's Heart and Sooouuuull!" Damn that's good. You sing it Huey. Fuckin' A!

I wait until the song is over and then I hear the station I.D. .... [drum roll please] .... it was on the fucking LIGHT FM station!!!! NOoooooooooooooooooo!!!!! Say it isn't so! That's just not right! Damnit, Rod Stewart I can understand, but NOT Huey Lewis' Heart and Soul, No Way!!!

Immediately I thought back to my Dad telling me when I was a kid about how mad he was that he heard Neil Diamond and Neil Young both on a Light FM station. Heart and Soul is a ROCK song! It has a hard hitting guitar lick! It belongs on a ROCK station! Damnit, I AM NOT that old yet!!!! If I had heard him in an elevator I think I would've died right then and there. A Light FM station was bad enough. Ugh. Don't worry, Huey, it's still rock-n-roll to me.

Going well

2006-02-16T16:08:00.000-05:00

Things have been going well for me lately *knock on wood*.

Classes are moving along. I changed some policies this semester and I'm really liking the changes, especially since it is reducing my stress and my workload too! :) The only thing going wrong of late is that my laptop is acting weird. All of a sudden I can't do hardly anything on it without it locking up on me. I think it is time to call in the pros and ask them to defrag / reformat / whatever it takes to solve the problem. (And this time I'll ask them to PLEASE leave off all the junk software that they think I need. The hard drive is full!)

The house still needs a lot of things done to it / around it, but oh well,.. I'll get to them one by one. All in all, I am very happy with my new home. If you feel energetic you're welcome to come cut down some of the trees in my backyard. I love trees, but I prefer to reduce the amount of pines and I'll keep the others.

Today is a very pretty day - sun shining, light breeze, blue sky,... I took off a little bit early and just drove around during the daylight before coming home. :)

Today I'm in a great mood.
I am optimistic that it will continue.

2006-01-30T17:14:00.000-05:00

My character Swiftangel in front of one dead Dragon, "Onyxia". :")

2006-01-28T09:26:00.000-05:00

Gathering for Onyxia Head Hanging

2006-01-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

Phase 1 Onyxia Raid

The calm before the storm

2006-01-28T09:04:00.000-05:00

Today I figured I'd post something because I know what's on my agenda for next week. Monday student outlines are due. Hoo-boy,.. stand back. Watch out! Here comes the tirade soon enough,.. over stupidity and incomplete sentences. LOL I'm sure this week I'll have some choice words for those few students that didn't follow simple directions. Of course I'll see some excellent outlines as well. :) I HOPE! Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

This weekend I figure I'll unpack some more. Books seem to be one item I've neglected to this point. I guess I ought to get those out considering I need some of them to develop a new class I'm working on for the Fall semester. I'm not sure what else I'll be doing around the house because I feel rather lazy today. I do know I'll play some World of Warcraft since we have a raid on Molten Core today and an Onyxia fight tomorrow. That reminds me,... I said I'd post up some character shots but I haven't taken any yet. I do have some of my guild raiding various things, but not any that are just character shots. Hmm.. I'll TRY and remember to do that soon. Meanwhile maybe a raiding shot will suffice. :)

Like a Virus

2006-01-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

These things are like a virus, infecting people's lives and computers all over the world. Don't e-mail me one of these damned things though, as they're meant to just compile e-mail addresses and those lists get sold to advertisers. DON'T DO IT!!! Anyway, I stole this off of Vic's blog, thanks! ;)

Boxers or Briefs - Briefs & Boxer Briefs
Eating in or Eating out - some of each - a balance
Blondes or Brunettes - Both, and at once is better!
Intelligence or Beauty - both, but we all know my tastes are weird ;)
Money or Fame - Money, fame is dangerous
Top or Bottom - Both, but it lasts a helluva lot longer on bottom =P
Books or Movies - Movies
Fiction or Non-fiction - Non-Fiction
Black and White pictures or Colour - Both!
MSN or AIM - AIM
CD players or MP3 players - MP3s
Pencil or Pen - Pen
Dogs or Cats - Cats
Apples or Oranges - Apples baked, Oranges raw
Summer or Winter - Summer if I'm near a beach, Winter if I have skis
Day or Night - Night
Doctor or Dentist - Dentist
TV or Movies - Movies
TV or computers - Computers
Runny nose or frequent coughing - umm.... neither
Crap$ doing something you love or Great$ doing something you hate - Love
Paris Hilton or Brittany Spears - Brittany (is she on top or bottom?)
Up early or sleep late - Both depending on the dream ;)
Give or take - Take
Bath or Shower - Shower
PJs or Nekkid - Not PJs but not Nekkid either
Beach or Mountains - Mountains but I like the beach too
Looks or laughs - Laughs
Pink or Blue - Blue
Chips or Chocolate - Chips
Mary Ann or Ginger - Mary Ann & Ginger with handcuffs and cream pies!
Coke or Pepsi - Root Beer or Cream Soda (or Coke)
Today, are you happy or sad? - Both

Grind Grind Grind

2006-01-13T14:13:00.000-05:00

Obviously, I'm back to the Grind of things at work. At least I have some variety this semester, what with 2 new classes and all. I'm teaching 2 x Public Speaking, 1 x Public Speaking for Health Professionals, and 1 x Play & Technology. So far I'm having fun in all of the classes. Is that a bad thing? I hope not. If so, tough shit, life goes on. I'll have fun if I want to, damnit! If students want to learn and have fun too, then great! If not, maybe I'll just have to "encourage" them to do better.

I wonder how teachers "encouraged" kids in the olden days... whips? chains? paddles with nails and holes for faster swings? maybe even ruler lashings on the wrists? hmm... Today it is pretty mild in comparison I guess. Only bad grades and verbal warnings with emotion. Damn wimps of the politically correct system. Down with the man!

I guess in some ways though "the man" is good,.. but in other ways he can be a pain. It's like my friend Saad Ali from Pakistan once told me. We were living in the GSU Village and there was a suburban pumping bass so loud it made our window shake on the 3rd floor. Saad and I both had a headache as we peered out of the window to see if he was within egg-throwing distance. Saad told me that the loud bass bullshit would not last in Pakistan more than 3 minutes or so. When I asked why that was, he replied that within 3 minutes' time the suburban would've been bombed, set on fire, or at the very least shot at. "Holy crap" I thought.... what a great way for things to be and what a bad way at the same time. I gues "the man" can stay, but damnit he needs to stop that loud bass bullshit more often than he does.

Anyway, so far it is turning out to be a great semester. My friend Vic hooked me up with a new monitor and keyboard and mouse. Thanks! I can actually read articles on my screen now instead of printing them out!!! :) It's raining today on Friday 13th (I heard it was going to hail). But despite the dreary exterior, I have a positive outlook. And yeah, that guy in the suburban was pissed that he got a baker's dozen. :p Have a great weekend all!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!

2006-01-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a Happy Holiday season! And I hope you will have a Happy New Year! Did you start it off right? For 'right' you can make up your own definition - you don't need to ask me. ;)

I had a pretty decent holiday. A new house is exciting despite all the moving and unpacking and oraganizing and trashing and buying and decorating and improvements, etc. Wow, there sure is a lot to do when buying a new home. I've been incredibly busy lately with the house, trying to get moved-in.

As if that wasn't taking up enough time, I got DSL Internet connection and have been playing more WoW on Icecrown as my Hunter. I finally got to level 60 and have been having a lot of fun on raids with the guild. :) I did my first ever Molten Core raid this week. We did up to Garr Wednesday and then went in Saturday and finished up to ..umm... I forget his name,.. but we didn't do Major Domo. I got two nifty items (a Blastershot Launcher & a Giantstalker's Breastplate) that put me into negative points already. >.<

I'll take some pics of the new house soon. Hmm... and a screenshot of my character for ya too! Be well. :)

Can you believe it?!?

2005-12-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

I hardly can!
I BOUGHT A HOUSE !!!!
Wow, this is surreal. I've lived in apartments and rental homes for so long I can hardly believe I am actually paying for something that will be an investment as opposed to a waste of money. Moving commences tomorrow. Utilities are being switched over soon (the builder is leaving them on until they're put into my name). We closed today and I now have the keys in my possesion! I went and did some cleaning tonight in preparation for tomorrow.

More to come soon and pictures to ensue. :)

Holy Crap!

2005-12-15T19:00:00.000-05:00

Closing is MONDAY the 19th !!!! I'm totally not prepared as far as packing goes. I have a lot of stuff packed, but I know what I'm going to be doing ALL weekend. =/ My last Final Exam is Friday so after I grade those and get those entered I'm going to pack, pack, PACK! Tuesday I have a U-Haul rented and will be trying to move furniture. If you're in the Atlanta area come help me! I'm really worried about not having enough manpower, as many of my friends are going of out town for the week as soon as classes are over. We'll see how it goes. Well,.. going to go pack more. Cya soon! :)

2005-12-02T00:47:00.000-05:00

Collage of Mom Pictures.

Today was difficult.

2005-12-02T00:11:00.000-05:00

Today was especially difficult to get through without breaking down. December 1st was Mom's Birthday. I love you mom. I miss you. I did well today, as I kept busy for the most part. I was somewhat in a daze though, not thinking incredibly much about things. It wasn't until later at home that I lost it.

I got home and turned on the television after supper and was watching the movie "trekkies" - funny flick. James Doogan, "Mr. Scott" was talking about a fan writing him a letter that was really a suicide letter, and how he encouraged the lady to come see him at the upcoming convention,.. and at the next convention,.. and the next,... until 8 years later after he stopped seeing her, he got a letter saying she'd gotten her Master's in Electrical Engineering and she wanted to thank him for saving her life. Jimmy Doogan was crying at that point, and so was I, as silly as that may seem. Then I flipped over and watched the last half of the movie "Switch" with Ellen Barkin and Jimmy Smitts. I like that movie, always have,.. but at the end, Ellen (the new mom) dies after childbirth, and the final scene sets Jimmy Smitts and a young daughter placing flowers on her grave as the little girl proclaims, "I love you, mommy." As if I needed anything more to prompt me. =/

I miss you mom. I love you. You are now and always will be in my heart and in my thoughts. Damn, this is tough.

Thanksgiving Holiday & The Future

2005-11-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving break offered a welcomed relaxation. My Dad and Mom (Lynn) and Grandma (My Dad's mom) - I call her Dot Dot, all came up from Florida and visited for a few days. Then all of us went to Western Tennessee to see Aunt Kathleen & Uncle Andy's new log cabin home that they're building near the TN river. It was a nice trip. As you can see, we even found time to drive down to Shiloh battlegrounds and take some pictures at the McDowell monument.

So this year, what do I have to give thanks to?
First and foremost,.. I have to give thanks that I had many years of closeness with mother. She was an amazing woman and she will always continue to be in my thoughts and memories. Believe me, she is a portion of my conscience and when I need her, she is still in my mind, offering me advice and guiding me.

Next, I have to be thankful I have the rest of my family and friends, as they too guide me and shape me. Having my health is also a thing for which to be thankful. I know I'm not in the greatest shape in the world, but I am somewhat healthy with no major problems (not that I know of anyway).

What's on the horizon for me? A new house perhaps,.. as I signed a contract to buy the ranch style house you see on this page below. Closing is supposed to be December 19th. We shall see. There was a plumbing issue that now may or may not need to be resolved and they're adding a few items such as a tile backsplash in the kitchen, etc. I'll take interior pictures sometime soon and post them. Other than a house,.. what's on the horizon?

I'm teaching two new classes next semester; Play & Technology,.. and Public Speaking for Health Occupation Majors. I also am tossing around the idea of writing a textbook / companion guide,... as if I didn't have enough to do, right? We shall see. I guess it all depends on how addicted I stay to World of Warcraft or some other game. ;)

2005-11-24T17:19:00.000-05:00

2005-11-24T17:18:00.000-05:00

Mcdowell monument in shiloh

2005-11-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

Tn river from the front porch of our rental cabin

2005-11-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

Were in tennessee on the way to aunt kathys new place and encountered this 40 ft chicken - what the hell?!?

A New House - Part Duex,... and a Speech Contest too!

2005-11-19T07:43:00.000-05:00

First, for the house info:
As you can see from the new picture below, I put in an offer on a totally different house. It only has a few (four) drawbacks as I see it (or things that conflict with items on my "dream-house" list), but I guess I can compromise on those or fix them. Here they are;

1) The subdivision is a lot tighter, meaning the lots are skinnier (but deeper) and therefore the houses are closer together. I've met one neighbor already and they seem really nice, plus this house is on a court (one house from the end of a cul-de-sac). That's great because cul-de-sacs tend to cut down on traffic and loud thumping music driving past your house all the time. If you know me you know I'll get into fights with assholes who drive past my house thumping bass. So far it seems that I'm cool with this subdivision. It has class. :)
Result: Not really a problem - if loud noise eventually becomes a problem, I'll complain to the neighborhood association and make them earn their $400 a year dues.

2) The house is on a slab instead of floor joists. This has always worried me as repair costs are higher for plumbing problems. I guess I'll deal with it. This also means it has no basement. This is disappointing seeing as now I won't have room for a pool table. But if I get to the point where I'm ready to buy one I can always build a bigass "storage building" out back to "store" my pool table. ;) The covenant says I can't build one over 20'x20'. Mine would be 25'x25' - Oops! Sorry, apparently I can't measure well.
Result: Not really a problem, but high added cost later - I am dealing with it.

3) There is no screened porch (I love screened porches). Maybe I'll figure out how to design and build one eventually. It will be tough considering the gable of the roof, but I know it can be done. There is no shelter under which I can put my grill. I'm going to keep my grill in the garage for now since it is CLOSE to impossible to drive my truck inside without turning in the side mirrors. No biggie, I park outside all the time as it is now anyway.
Result: A bit irked by small frikkin garages - not happy with this item entirely, but I'll deal with it.

4) The drainage on the lot seems "okay" - the only place that concerns me is in the backyard. But then again I have NOT yet seen this lot under a heavy rain. There is a slight hill that comes down toward the back patio prior to a small drainage trough taking it around the house to the front. It will be no problem for me to fix that given my civil engineering design years. :) But I think a simple solution would be to ditch-witch a trough to the front, lay in a pvc pipe, making sure it gravity feeds to the front ditch, and putting in a grated box in the back close to the patio, to take off excess standing water.
Result: fixable IF it is actually a problem - I guess I'll find out when it rains hard - and from the sound of it the builder would probably even ditch-witch it for me and give me the pvc

Secondly, the Speech Contest:
I started an annual speech competition last year. This year I had 2 former department chairs and the President of the University as judges. Each Public Speaking instructor (8 of us) had one student and his/her persuasion speech entered into the contest.

I raised the money and hosted it. $400 for 1st place, $300 for 2nd, $200 for 3rd, and $50 for each other place,.. plaques for each person, and certificates for each contestant ... not bad, eh? I think I did fairly well. :) Also, the contest speeches were recorded and McGraw-Hill publishers will transfer it to a DVD for me, which we will sell with next year's textbooks at cost + $1. These will make great sample speeches for our students. Those $1's will add up and be put into a fund for our department for eventually building a new speech lab. Groovy eh? :) It is even more groovy that MY student won 2nd place! Yay me! :)

2005-11-19T07:41:00.000-05:00

New home? Just put in an offer. Sure, it's a slab instead,.. sure, it's in a tighter subdivision,.. but hey, it's a cute house with a decent backyard and plenty of room inside. :)

Incompetence, Apathy, or at least a Lack of Pride

2005-11-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

I really hate it when people are incompetent then don't admit it. The builder I was working with knew from the VERY FIRST day I'd walked into that house that the floor was a major issue. If it had been built right in the first place things wouldn't have been an issue. If the builder had admitted the flaw and properly corrected it this wouldn't have been an issue. Now, due to pure stupidity or stubborness on the part of the builder (I'm not quite sure which), I am not going to buy the house that I loved so much. Thanks a lot for ruining that, you dillweed. Let me give you a quick time travel recap.....

Day ONE of finding the house: I noted the floor and pointed it out.
Day TWO: signed a contract and made sure to note the floor as a MAJOR item.
Week One: nothing at all was done to the house.
Week Two: not much at all was done (maybe 5 hours work for 1 man total)
Week Three: Carpet was laid down on top of the UNFIXED floor !!!!!!!!! (What the fuck was this idiot thinking?) Isn't it a bit insulting he did that, as if trying to cover it up so I wouldn't notice?!? "Oh yeah, they did some bracing to fix it." I was told ... lies,... no change in the deflection of the floor whatsoever. Because of the builder I had to postpone closing. I tell them to fix the floor again.
Week Four: Honestly, a lot of items got addressed here,.. guess what,... still the floor is not fixed. I tell them again to fix the floor.
Week Five: Due to unfinished items had to postpone closing again. Home inspectors finally came. That's $300 out of my pocket. A lot of items fixed again,... still the floor is not fixed. Inspectors recommend having a structural engineer analyze the floor, joists, and foundation wall.
Week Six: Closing postponed indefinitely due to builder not taking care of things he ought to have in the first place - the floor (big surprise?). I spoke with 10 structural engineers and showed them pictures and described the deflections / beam layout / joisting. 5 told me I should walk away from it considering this house is only 1 year old and brand new. The other 5 told me they charge $500 minimum for "a letter of recommendations" and they'd suggest making sketches for $1,000 - $1,500 since the builder has not fixed this item to date. They said "since his contractors probably have no more than an 8th grade education (looking at the way this joisting was done) it is obvious they need sketches to follow." Notice that is in quotation marks? That's for a reason - two engineers told me almost the exact same thing.
Week Seven: The builder calls me and tells me he found an engineer for $500 and suggests we go with him since he can come out right away and he's cheap. I tell them great, hire him, pay for it, go for it. Builder says he won't pay for it.

Okay, let's take a moment here. WHAT THE FUCK?!?!? This moron says he won't PAY for it when I don't even own the house yet? HELLO? Isn't this supposed to be a NEW house?!? You know,.. one that is completely safe and structurally sound, with all the major items from the initial contract already addressed and FIXED ?!?!? BEFORE the buyer ever does a walk through?

Look, asshole.... learn to do the type of work that you can take pride in. Sure the house looks really nice, and I'd have loved to move into it, but YOU broke this deal when you didn't meet the contract by fixing the major items listed on it. A new home should be built to where it is structurally sound and a buyer should NOT,... absolutely NOT have to worry about a beam popping up in the kitchen floor in front of the dishwasher,... or the floor deflecting half an inch down along a wall in the living room where a tv or a couch is going to be. This is especially true in a house that is less than ONE YEAR OLD !!! Get a fucking clue. Grow up. Take responsibility for your work and fixed the God Damned Floor like you should have in WEEK ONE, instead of covering it up and feeding me bullshit every week about how you did something to better it when you obviously didn't!

Yes, I already packed a lot of my stuff in order to move. Yes, my landlady found someone to rent my current apartment on December 1st. Yes, I wanted to move into that new house, but ya know what? I gave him PLENTY of chances and time to fix it and make it right. Ever played baseball? He had more than 3 strikes on that floor issue, and he still fucked it up by being a dorkstick.

So yes, I'm out a lot of time and effort and money due to him. Home inspectors, tons of gasoline driving out there and back every other day, and two frikkin months that I feel are wasted due to his incompetence. Not to mention the wonderful Dana (my Realtor), who drove back and forth out there trying to resolve issues, and the mortgage people who dealt with this case.... what a shame that he wasted their time too.

Some time ago...

2005-11-07T22:51:00.000-05:00

Remember when I told you Elvis et al. came to visit? Well,... I forgot these pictures were on my cell phone. And now that I figured out how to send them directly to my blog from my phone, I'll send them over. :)
Enjoy,.. and Elvis,.. sorry in advance palso that you're in them. I know how you hate that. But hey, I have you in them so I can remember you - AS IF I could forget your wacky self, eh? =p ;)

Look! He's peeing in the middle of the road!
Nobody ever drives backwards anymore.
It's a test!
Black Capped Chickadee day? Why yes, it IS on the calendar.
Of course we can go on a field trip. All we need is keys to a state vehicle.
Chris,... I thought you were my friend.
Dude, you could be a better host than this you know.
Bubba, give me my damn briefcase.
Freddy Wisham - OB-Gyn
Butch would do it for a case of beer.
You did SO fart on the wall.
It's only a shark wound to the head.
Umm... basket #2.
Why the hell would you raise 60,000,000 artisans, Troy?!?
Antidisestablishmentarianism.
Yessir,.. 365 Miami.
Hair Helmet!
Hey Larry, Let me drive your car.
Can I hold your pen? No, I won't break it.
Boone's Farm.
Soft Batch!
What? Cisco and 7? Isn't that the same as a hurricane?
90 shrimp for the bar please.
signed,..... James Douglas Morrisson

2005-11-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

2005-11-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

The wall above is about where you see the text - 3' 6" to this side of the existing laminated beam, parallel with it. In the distance on the right you can even see the hairline fracture in the front foundation wall if you look closely (it is at a 45 degree angle almost, indicating the load has stressed to that one side. The wall above the text is the divider wall between the living room and the kitchen where a stove rests, and an entertainment center will be. This house is one year old and I'm trying to buy it, but I want to be sure the framing / foundation is strong and will last. Thanks!

Voices in Veloche's Head

Springtime

Hopes

Stuff

Getting Laid Off is not as good as Getting Laid.

A MeMe - just 'cause... now shut up!

Catch-up

Been a while...

The Beauty of God - Greeks vs. Christians

The time approaches

After Christmas

Thankful

Buncha Stuff

What a month

Too long or not long enough?

Internet stalking and harrassment 101

*sigh* and *yay*

For a long time

Evil Inc.

Behind Bars

Happy AND Sad

The hunt goes on

SHhhhhhh! Be vewwy vewwy quiet!

Okay people,.....

Another year older

Memorial Day Weekend

Florida Sun

All better?

Spring cleaning

Multimedia message

Framing the situation

Wreck =/

Old Vehicles

Grass & Weeds

Lions, Tigers, and Conferences, Oh My!

Frantic February

New Year

Okay then...

Its the weekend!

Halloween Tricks

So anyway...

Multimedia message

Phone mix-up

Not Dead

Busy Bee

Garden Surprise

Photos of Japan!

I'm BACK!

Arrival in JAPAN !!!

VACATION !!!!

Ok, so I'm a slacker...

HELL YEAH!

Do you have a 710?

Money, Native Americans, Nature, & My Brother

My Only Friend, The End

Musical Questions

Boycott This!

Trivia, Old Friends, and Trees

What a Break...

Hazy Daze

Unisex: Violation of Expectations ?!?

Janet and Chris at my WebCT Vista training session

Rock-N-Roll never dies - It just changes venues!

Going well

The calm before the storm

Like a Virus

Grind Grind Grind

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!

Can you believe it?!?

Holy Crap!

Today was difficult.

Thanksgiving Holiday & The Future

A New House - Part Duex,... and a Speech Contest too!

Incompetence, Apathy, or at least a Lack of Pride

Some time ago...

sigh and yay