Springtime

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

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

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.

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!

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

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...

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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*

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

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.

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

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

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

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!

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,.....

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

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]