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

Gathering for Onyxia Head Hanging 

Phase 1 Onyxia Raid 

The calm before the storm

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

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

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 !!!!!

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?!?

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!

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! :)

Collage of Mom Pictures. 

Today was difficult.

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

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. ;)

Mcdowell monument in shiloh

Tn river from the front porch of our rental cabin

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!

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! :)

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

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...

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

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! 

The Wall above is parallel with this beam, 3' 6" to the right of it. 

New House?!? Not home quite yet......

Those wacky builders... they're giving me headaches. What's going on with the house, you say? Here's what's going down:

• 1st Major Item: When we first looked at the house I noticed that the living room floor was sunken in a little bit. I asked the builder to do some bracing to resolve that problem, but today the home inspector came and together we figured out why their new "bracing" didn't work. The morons who built the thing put the load-bearing wall 3 feet too far to the right of the laminated beam that's meant to support it. And that's why the front foundation wall now has a hairline fracture in it, due to the sheer pressure of it sitting there for one year not correctly supported. Now they're going to have to hire a 3rd party structural engineer at THEIR cost to analyze the situation and determine a proper way to fix it. 'Cause I certainly won't buy a damn house that's going to crumble the foundation due to code violations as major as that. They're going to have to add either another laminated beam (which would mean taking out a french door and making it a single door - GRRRRRR!!!!) or they're going to have to add some support beams, in effect reducing the size of the large downstairs room I was hoping to put a pool table in. (another GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!) They're going to have to PROVE to me that it's fixed before I'll EVER pick up a pen. You'd think people would do their jobs right in the first place so they'd save money in the long run.>.<

• 2nd Major Item: They used sheetrock instead of greenboard around the showers and tubs in the bathrooms. Hello!?!? How stupid do you have to be to do that as a contractor?!? In the upstairs bathroom there's not only sheetrock around a regular height tub that has a showerhead above it, but there's not even a shower stall or tile or anything protecting the sheetrock! What the hell is wrong with people that they'd do such a shitty job?!? Don't people take pride in their work any more?!? Grrr! >.<

There are quite a few other 'major' and 'minor' concerns, including a few safety issues as well. If this builder doesn't fix EVERYTHING on the inspector's list and quite a few things on my 'cosmetic' list, like proper caulking and painting,... guess what. They can kiss my ass and keep the fucking house. I'd be willing to bet they'd rather fix the items than sit on another year of financing. But who knows if they will. If I don't end up buying it, I sure hope that whoever comes along after me hires an inspector.

IF and ONLY IF they fix all the items, and fix them properly and DAMN WELL, will I buy the house. Below you can see some pictures of the exterior. I took them today. It was a beautiful day for it.

Looking almost due North. Apparently she comes with the house.